Arthur's Return
by LonerRavenclaw
Summary: What happens when Albion's darkest hour arrives and Arthur returns? Set about 1500 years after Arthur's death.
1. Chapter 1: Ressurection

I don't own Merlin.

 _"As we enter year nine of the civil war ravaging Great Britain, many people fear this is just the beginning. As increasingly unstable conditions make it more difficult to trade with external countries, food supplies continue to run low, causing increased violence as all five sides make raids into rival camps in search of rations. Starting last week, another army instated a conscription policy in an effort to bolster troops, bringing the total of conscripting factions up to three. With tensions on the rise and no end in sight, this is truly our darkest hour"_

Merlin rustled through the books and papers on his desk, flicking a gaze at the radio, eyes glowing, to turn it off. Muttering, he shoved papers and books into the bag on his stool.

"You hear that, old friend? Albion's darkest hour. I knew it, I've seen the signs... Five sides, nine years. Even they see it now, he's coming back," he glanced at the dragon's skull in the dawn light outside his window before bending over his desk to double check the scrawled notes there.

Running his gnarled finger in a wavering line down the page, he slowly straightened up as best he could and moved over to the shallow stone basin in the center of his workroom. Muttering an incantation, he passed his hand over the cloudy liquid until it slowly began to clear, revealing an image in its depths. Merlin smiled a little as the Lake of Avalon appeared. The setting sun glinted off surface and waves slowly lapped the shore. The grin on Merlin's face grew as the sun caught a blade and forearm protruding from the water's surface.

"Tonight, old friend. He returns tonight."

Snatching the bag off the stool, Merlin left his cabin, his staff moving in quick, firm strokes. It took him the all day to make what should have been the short walk to the Lake of Avalon. He kept to the woods and avoided the groups of soldiers littering the area. He distracted them with magic whenever they got too the close, but he still had to fight his way through the underbrush, moving as slowly as he could to avoid making too much noise. His back aching and his breath coming in pants and wheezes, he finally reached the edge of the trees and emerged into the empty twilight. After a pause, he began to stump his way down the grass to the water. As his breath began to come more smoothly he peered out into the thick mist shrouding the lake. Raising his hand, Merlin focused on Excalibur and spoke. His eyes blazed. For several thunderous seconds, nothing seemed to happen, then the blade came soaring through the air to meet his outstretched hand. Reverently, he lay the sword at his feet.

"Thank you, Freya," he straightened, leaning on his staff, and once again peered into the fog.

Again, there was a pause. Then, slowly, a ripple began to appear at the water's edge, the faintest swishing of water against the prow of a boat, a dark shape in the ever darkening fog. Then, quickly, a glint of light on armour, the shape grew in size and detail, and there was Arthur. He looked just as Merlin had last seen him. His armour, hair, and cloak all arranged in the exact same way as they had hundreds of years ago. And nothing stirred. Merlin swallowed and gritted his teeth. He knelt beside the small boat as it ground to a halt on the beach. There wasn't any sign that Arthur lived. Swallowing hard, the old sorcerer reached out a shaking hand and took hold of Excalibur. With a careful, gentle movement, he lifted Arthur's arm and folded the fingers around the hilt. Placing his hand on his friend's chest, Merlin closed his eyes and whispered a spell.

With a jolt, Merlin started backward as Arthur shot up and took a huge breath before collapsing back onto his elbows. Taking huge, shuddering breaths he tried to pull himself up into a sitting position, Excalibur falling at his side. His arms wouldn't stay steady however, and he fell back onto the bow. Merlin moved himself to his friends side and gently pulled on his shoulders to move him into a sitting position. Still shivering, Arthur stared up at his friend.

"M-M-Merlin..."

Merlin grinned down at him, "Arthur."

The Once and Future King laughed shakily, "Merlin, you got old..."

His eyes rolled up into his head and he passed out.

Let me know what you think. I'm hoping this is something people will want to read more of. I'm planning to make the later chapters longer and to update once every week or two.


	2. Chapter 2: Catching Up

So it turns out I'm updating sooner than I thought... Oh well. I don't own Merlin, I just borrow it a bit. I'll be careful and return it in good condition, I promise.

* * *

It was late in the morning when Arthur rolled onto his back and rubbed his eyes. Merlin glanced up from his desk and, seeing Arthur awake, pushed himself off his stool with effort. Getting his friend back to the cabin had been no mean feat, but he'd managed to avoid being spotted and get him into bed to rest. As Arthur pushed himself up and looked around, Merlin edged around his desk to the small kitchen.

"Merlin... Where is this?"

"My house," his words came out crabbed and terse, "Here."

"What's this slop?" Arthur's nose wrinkled at the thin gruel in the bowl.

"Breakfast. And you're lucky to get any, it's practically a famine. So eat up!"

Arthur grimaced but began to eat. Speaking through the food and his scowl, he said, "So what happened?"

"I took you back here from the lake. You're armour's by the chair. I'd thought you'd sleep better without it and no one wears it no anyway. There are some more," he snorted, " _modern_ clothes for you to wear with them."

"Merlin. I know it's difficult, but don't be an idiot. I mean, what happened since Camlann? How long was I ... gone?"

Merlin paused in his movement about the small room. He stared straight ahead for a moment, then shook his head with a _tsk_ , "You expect me to remember? You're not that great. About 1500 years, give or take. I lost track," The last part was harsher then he meant it.

Arthur's jaw tightened. He set the bowl aside and looked at Merlin. The sorcerer sunk into a chair under his harsh gaze.

Arthur paused, then spoke, "Tell me what happened. No dodging around it."

Merlin's gruff, cracked voice softened, "You died. I sent your body, in a coracle, to Avalon. Kilgharrah, the dragon, said you would return when Albion's need was greatest. So I waited," he paused, swallowing. His voice rough again, he continued, "Don't ask me how, but I lived all this time, a living relic now that magic has faded from the land. And when a civil war started nine years ago, I knew your time was soon. Yesterday, Excalibur rose from the Lake, and so here you are. As foolish and asinine as ever, I might add."

Arthur's eyes were hard and his voice tight when continued, "And Gwen?"

"Dead. Her and all the rest."

There was silence. Merlin didn't say more about their friends' deaths, occurring one by one as he had lived on, enduring them all. Or of the slow fall of Camelot, Albion, and magic; of the rise of the United Kingdom and the ensuing war. Arthur sat still on the bed, hands folded against his shirt, jaw working. After a moment Merlin creaked to his feet and returned to pottering about the cabin, making himself busy, cramped, and scowling. After a while Arthur picked up the bowl again and began to push the metre contents around.

"You know Merlin, this really is the most disgusting breakfast you have ever served me. You'd think your serving skills would have improved some over 1500 years."

Merlin's mouth twisted upward against his will, "Maybe I'm out of practice. Besides, I told you there's a war on."

"Yes, I don't suppose you'd have managed to leave this hovel long enough to have more information on that?" Arthur stood up and stretched as he spoke.

Merlin took the bowl and spoon to the sink and spoke over his shoulder as he washed them, "It started suddenly, five different regions each began to be more and more insistent over their needs, and began threatening the others. Soon enough there were raids, and battles, and a full scale war. Fighting isn't just blades anymore, there are hand-held machines that fire metal projectiles. they're called guns. Not that everyone has one. As the war went on, it became harder to find ammunition, most soldiers use simper weapons," Merlin was ready to go on, but Arthur stopped him.

"What in God's name are these clothes?"

"Heh?" the sorcerer turned most of the way around to look.

"The fabrics are ridiculous. And there are so few..."

"That's what people wear 's a jacket and socks, too. With your shoes by the door."

Arthur snorted again at the jeans and red t-shirt, "That explains why your clothes are so awful anyway, if not the smell."

"I'll have you know that comes with being _old_. Now, get dressed and stop complaining, clotpole."

Arthur looked affronted, but began to struggle with his shirt anyway. Merlin hobbled over to help.

"You can stop that spell now, you know."

"What spell?" Merlin folded the old shirt and put it with Arthur's other clothes.

"Whatever spell it is you use to look like that. It'll be easier for you to help me if you're young. Also, It's rather unnerving," fully dressed, he carelessly threw his old pants onto the chair.

Merlin's nose wrinkled, "It's not an aging spell this time, I'm really an old man. Time didn't stop moving just because you died, you insensitive ass!"

Arthur's chin moved back, "Well, can't you just... perform another spell to make you younger?"

Merlin hunched his shoulders higher and stomped over to the desk, "No."

"Have you even tired?"

Merlin's response was to roughly pull a paper closer to him and begin writing, curled over so that his beard brushed the pages of the book he consulted. Arthur stood awkwardly in the cabin, swinging his hands together and apart. The sound of Merlin's pen scratching filled the air between them for long seconds, stretching into a tense, uncomfortable minute. Finally, Arthur looked down at his bare feet and cleared his throat. Merlin responded with a snort.

Taking the chair across from his friend, Arthur tentatively spoke, pausing between words, "So, what else should I know about the last 1500 years?"

"She didn't remarry, if that's what you mean," he stopped writing, but didn't look up.

"Gratifying," Arthur's voice was hard, "But no, I was thinking more about things that would help with this 'Albion's need is greatest' situation."

Merlin slowly looked up at him, "More has happened that I could hope to make your limited brain understand. But I'll start with the basics."

"How gracious of you."

"Well, Albion lasted, united, for a good long while. Sorcery was legal. Magic began to recede from the world after a few hundred years, and with it albion began to give way to something new. It was called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland until the war started," he waved his hand as Arthur opened his mouth, "Don't worry about what those are. Most importantly, there's something called electricity. It can make light in the dark and fuel ovens without flames. That," with a nod to the small radio on his desk, "runs on it, or would if I hadn't replaced it with magic. It receives sound, voices, from far away. Don't worry about how, it'll take too long."

Arthur looked totally baffled, so Merlin paused, giving him a chance to speak. When he said nothing, the sorcerer reached out a gnarled hand and pressed the button on the side of the radio. After a few second of reporting on the civil war, he pressed it again to silence it. Arthur swallowed.

"And this isn't magic?"

"No. This is something different," Merlin's lip curled, "Cruder, less refined... but effective, in its way."

Arthur nodded dumbly and Merlin barrelled on, "I'll skip cars, the country ran out of gas years ago. Medicine is more sophist acted, but close enough that you'll do fine. Knights are purely ceremonial now, as are kings and queens. Instead rulers are - or were, before the war - elected. Decided on by popular opinion. It's much more fair, the power is more distributed that way. Tourneys are gone, hunting isn't as much of a sport, and horse riding is rare. Women and men are equal enough and the class system is far less ridged. Oh, and people who work for you are _employees_ , not servants."

Arthur nodded, brow wrinkled, "I'm not sure I understand all of what you just said..."

"That's fine, I'll explain again as it comes up," Merlin's tone was a little less harsh.

Arthur nodded and sat in silence, staring at the table before him and thinking. Merlin went back to writing, but after a few minutes looked up. Arthur was idly thumbing through the book before him, though clearly his mind was elsewhere. The old warlock studied his friend and king. He looked the same as the day he died, but something in his eyes seem different. Perhaps it was the information he'd just received, or the sudden return to life, Merlin couldn't tell. He couldn't bring himself to ask what it had been like to be dead, what had happened to him, if anything. He wasn't sure he wanted to know. Arthur glanced up, and seeing Merlin's gaze, tossed the book back onto the table.

"Merlin, why pricisely are you staring at me?"

Merlin's gaze hardened and he narrowed his eyes, "I've a right to stare at whomever I like!"

He surprised himself by barking, he hadn't meant to respond harshly. Recovering, he glanced down at his books and notes.

"I'm still not sure how we should begin now that you're here. I've been trying to work it out, but I only have rough ideas. I was planning to continue working it, is there something you'd rather do?"

"Well, it would be good to get some swordplay practice. I can't be sure that I won't be rusty after so long."

Merlin jerked his head out the window, "You can practice out there. Just mind you don't draw to much attention to us."

Following Merlin's gaze, Arthur jumped, "What is _that_?"

The smooth, formidable skull bared it's teeth at them in the dappled shade. Merlin chuckled, " Don't worry, he's been dead nearly as long as you have, he won't breath fire."

"Breath... That's a _dragon_ skull, outside your window!" Arthur raised his eyebrows in incredulity.

"Yes. Now take your sword and leave me in peace.'

Muttering, Arthur pulled on his shoes and the jacket Merlin had left for him before seizing Excalibur and slamming the door behind him. Melin glanced out the window before bending over his notes, taking up his pen, and continuing to work. The rest of the day passed quietly. At sunset they dined on stringy mushrooms and limp greens Merlin had scrounged together before turning in, Arthur on the bed while Merlin lay on a mattress on the floor. Bolstered by magic, it was comfortable enough and it didn't take long for the two of them to fall asleep.

* * *

Thanks for reading, let me know if you have any thoughts or comments, I'd love to hear from you.


	3. Chapter 3: Plans

I don't own Merlin, as evident in the finite number of seasons.

* * *

Arthur was asleep when Merlin rolled over and stood up. Glancing at the sleeping king, Merlin yawne loudly and made his way to the kitchen. Reaching up for a pot, he fumbled and knocked most of his cookware onto the floor and counter. Arthur sat up.

"Mph. Honestly Merlin, how are you still this clumsy?"

"Oh, you know," he waved his hand and fallen pots and carefully set one on the burner.

Arthur sat up slowly and stared, "Merlin..." he said slowly.

"Huh?" Merlin glanced quickly over his shoulder, then turned around fully when he saw Arthur's expression, "What?"

"I thought you said you couldn't turn yourself young again."

"I can't," Merlin looked at Arthur blankly.

The king raised his eye brows and looked expectant. Merlin spun around and crouched down to peer at his reflection in the oven door. His own young face was staring back at him. He grinned and let out a small laugh, bobbing left and right to make sure it was really him. He turned over his shoulder towards Arthur, now standing above him. Looking at him, Merlin spoke through the smile still spread over his face, barely containing his glee.

"I'm young again. I don't have arthritis or a hunch," he stood up quickly, "You're not so tall anymore."

"Yes, you big liar," Arthur smacked him on the back of the head.

Merlin recoiled defensively, " _I_ didn't do this!"

"Of course you didn't. I know you have magic Merlin, I don't know what you're trying to hide."

"I didn't! I don't know what did, actually," his brow creased in perplexity, speaking to himself he muttered, "I didn't, I _couldn't_ , so how..?"

"Stop pretending, you just don't want to admit you were wrong earlier," Arthur crossed his arms, "Anyway, now that you're your normal doltish self I don't feel as bad about telling you to get to work on breakfast."

"But I'm telling you, I never did _anything_."

"I know, and now's a very good time to start. Come on, I'm hungry," Arthur turned and crossed again to the bed.

"This is my house!"

Arthur ignored him. Wearing an exasperated look, Merlin turned back to the stove. Before he returned to cooking however, he looked down at his clothes. they no longer fit him as well, and there seem to be more layers than he needed. Swallowing another smile, he focussed and spoke a spell under his breath. The fabric of his clothes began to blur and change, settling at last into new ones. He now wore boots, black jeans, and a blue long-sleeve shirt. Arthur glanced over.

"You're still standing around?" he did a double take, "what happened to your clothes?"

Merlin shrugged, "I changed them."

Arthur opened his mouth then closed it, looking sceptical, "Well... get to work."

Merlin grinned as he turned to the stove and began work on what breakfast he could scrape together. When he was done, he carried the two bowls to the table and sat down. Arthur grimaced at the bowl, but stared eating anyway. Merlin returned to his notes, reviewing the information he managed to scrape together the previous day.

"So what are we supposed to be doing now? I don't think I can bear sitting around in this shack for too long."

"It's a house," Merlin swallowed, "But I think I've got a guess on what we should be doing."

"Well, what is it?"

"I'm not entirely sure anything I find will be perfect, but based on information on points of magic, not to mention strategy, as well as what I discussed withe the-"

"Merlin! Just skip to the important part."

He looked up at Arthur, "Camelot. It makes the most sense. I think we should probably leave as soon as possible."

Arthur crossed his arms and nodded, looking down, "Before we do, what's Camelot like now?"

"Different," Merlin avoided Arthur's gaze, "It's sort of... not there?"

"What do mean?"

"Well, when it stopped being used, it began to fall apart. Now it's a less than a ruin... It's just a hill."

"Everything else is gone, I suppose it makes sense that that is too," His jaw tightened.

"We don't have to go there if you don't want to," he pulled a new stack of books closer, and opened the topmost one, "I'm sure I could find another place that would have the necessary background and geography..."

"No, no, Merlin, if I'm going to," Arthur gestured with one hand, "help with whatever's happening right now, I'm going to have to accept what's happened. We can go to Camelot if you think we should. I... That is to say, You..."

"Go on, say it," Merlin smiled broadly.

"You... are the worst servant ever, I mean just totally worthless."

"Of course I am, 1500 hundred years..."

"Just tell me what we need to get to Camelot, I haven't seen any horses."

"We're going by foot, there aren't any horses. We'll need to avoid five armies anyway, so horses would be too conspicuous. We're going to pack food and, I suppose, weapons and get going."

* * *

Thanks for reading. Did you like it? Is there something I could improve on? Reviews are welcome and much appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4: Grief

I don't own Merlin... but if I did I might still write fan fiction because, let's face it, it's fun.

* * *

 _1500 years ago..._  
It was her first official occasion since the events at Camlann a month ago and her coronation as sole ruler of Camelot. Gwen stood on the steps in the courtyard with her back straight and her face in a composed expression. Leon stood at her right shoulder, Gaius at her left. Percival stood further up the steps. Other knights had wanted to be here to greet the arriving delegations, but she had refused. She didn't want to present any unnecessary hostility. Though her expression didn't show it, Gwen was concerned about the upcoming parley. She wished, once again, that Merlin was here. Her position on magic would be much more defensible if he was in Camelot to represent the benefits. Not to mention her position on the unification of the five kingdoms. According to Gaius, Merlin had wanted that long before anyone even thought it was a possibility. Gwen hoped she could convince the sovereigns without him. She knew Annis would support her, but the others...  
It had been a trying month. Through it all, Gwen had maintained a stony calm that was more taxing than anything else she was going through. The only times she let her grief or exhaustion show was when she was alone with Gaius, or occasionally the the knights here now. Arthur's death was a blow to everyone, but as queen she had to stay strong. Especially now. The treaty to come required he to be assertive, now was not the time to be seen as a grieving widow. He thoughts were interrupted when, with a clatter of hooves, the rulers and their parties rode into the courtyard.  
Gwen took a deep breath and formed her face into a cordial grin, "Greetings, welcome to Camelot. I can't begin to express how glad I am that you all agreed to come."  
As she greeted each of them individually, servants appeared to show the rulers to rooms. Hanging back a little, Queen Annis paused beside Gwen, "How are you doing?"  
"I've been better," with a weak smile she continued, "I do wish Merlin were here, it would make this all go more easily.  
"Have you hear from him recently?"  
"He left Ealdor after a few days, he decided to travel the five kingdoms on foot for a while. He was on the outskirts of Odin's kingdom last time I heard from him."  
The last of the servants and knights went inside, Gwen and Annis tuned and began to climb the steps after them. Gaius paused to let them pass before following. Gwen continued, "But that was two weeks ago, so he could be anywhere now."  
"Well I'm sure everything will go smoothly, even without him."  
Gaius came up next them, "Gwen, everyone here is open to the idea of unifying, we all want peace. The kings wouldn't have agreed to come if they weren't interested."  
"I know, thank you, both of you. I'm just not sure they'll be welcome to uniting under Camelot."  
In fact, she was not sure their agreement to come meant they were open to uniting at all. It was equally plausible they wanted to take advantage of Camelot's vulnerability, or of the presence of all five rulers in one place. Her brow creased as she considered this.  
Annis touched her shoulder, " _Don't worry_ , Gwen, it will go splendidly. I'm sure. Now, please excuse me, I think I'll rest for a few minutes. I'll see you when the talks begin."  
"Thank you Annis," as soon as the queen was gone Gwen's shoulders sagged. She brought her hand to her face and closed her eyes.  
Gaius gave her a supportive arm around her shoulders, "Come on, let's get you sitting down."  
When they reached the royal bedchamber Gwen collapsed into a seat, "Thank you, Gaius. It's just so much at once."  
"I know, but don't worry, Gwen, you're doing excellent work. You've already removed the ban on magic in Camelot, and you've brought all the representatives here. You're doing a fine job, and I know Arthur would be proud."  
"Yes, I know. I just can't help but be concerned about this. you know they might not want to unify, don't you?"  
"I'm well aware of the risks. But this is a noble cause and one well worth pursuing. You have to at least try."  
"Of course."  
"Now, have you been sleeping? Eating well?"  
"Yes, don't worry about me. Worry about Albion."  
"Alright, I'll let you rest now, please tell me if there's anything you need."  
"I will. Thank you again, Gaius."  
"You're welcome."  
Gwen nodded and gave him a fleeting smiled as he walked to the door. When he was gone, she gave a fleeting glance to the bed before turning towards the divan that had been moved into the room three and a half weeks ago. She lay down and closed her eyes. She couldn't sleep, but she wanted to maintain her calm demeanour. It would make the difficult diplomacy to come all the easier. Half an hour later, she stood up, smoothed her dress, and left with her face set and her head held high.

* * *

So I'm still figuring out a good length for these, so feedback on that front would be especially appreciated, as well as any feedback in general. Seriously, I want to improve my writing and the best way for me to know how is through reviews. Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5: Shadows and Magic

I don't own Merlin, blah blah blah, you know the drill.

* * *

It was about noon when Arthur and Merlin were finally ready to depart. They had two rucksacks between them, as well as a sleeping bag each. One rucksack was filled with food and water; the other with clothes, medicine, books, and any other supplies that Merlin thought important. Arthur was also carrying Excalibur at his side and had his old cloak rolled up in his sleeping bag. He stood outside in the dappled light falling to the forest floor in thin, gliding shafts. His hands on his hips, he sighed and peered into the dimly lit cabin interior.

"Merlin, how long is this going to take? We've already packed, what else could you need?"

"This is my home! And I don't know when I'll see it again, so I want to make sure I don't forget anything," he emerged with a smile tugging at one side of his mouth, "Besides, I was looking for this. It's a handkerchief from a few dozen years ago, but I think it'll work."

He held up a a dull red square of fabric, looking expectant. Arthur's face stayed in an expression of blank disbelief.

"Is that supposed to be worth the delay?"

Merlin shook the fabric again, but when Arthur still didn't react, he just shrugged and tied it as a triangle around his neck.

"Let's just get going, I thought you said this was important?"

Arthur didn't wait for an answer, he just turned and started walking away from the cabin. Merlin grabbed his pack and fumbled to get it as he scurried to catch up. With a skip he fell into step beside Arthur. The forest, with the exception of a few flitting animals, was still and hushed around them, but both of them were alert to the possibility of patrolling soldiers. Merlin and looked at the path ahead, but they were still wary. Arthur's expert feet were moving quietly on the leaves carpeting the ground, but Merlin's every footfall brought crunches and snaps. After a disparaging look from Arthur, Merlin made more of an effort to step quietly, not that it was perfect. They walked for a few more minutes in (relative) silence, then Arthur spoke.

"Why are you so cheery now, anyway?"

"I just am, that's all. What's so strange about that?"

"You were pretty severe about the situation earlier."

Merlin paused for a second before answering, "It's just, I haven't been this young in centuries. You wouldn't understand, you've never been old," he flexed his hands and adjusted his grip on the bag's straps, "It's just such a refreshing feeling."

"I see. Well, don't get too giddy on me, you might lose the only shreds of usefulness you've got."

He snorted, "I've got an ancient mind and a young body. If anything this has made me more useful. At lest I'm better than you, all you can do is swing a-"

"Shh!" Arthur held up a hand and froze, listening.

"What, I'm walking quietly," Merlin whispered.

"No, not your clomping," Arthur hissed, "There's something else."

They both stayed still, crouched lower to the ground than they had been a moment ago. At first, everything seemed like it was the same as before, but then they both realized what had changed. All the background noises of the forest had vanished except for a dry swishing, sliding noise. A rustle in the leaves, moving toward them. As they stood, neither reacting right away, a pricking tingle crept up the back of Merlin's neck. Slowly, without knowing why, Merlin turned around and looked toward the sky. As he did, all at once the rustling cut off asa shadow, the source of which was obscured by the canopy of trees, passed over them, casting a chill onto the previously warm day. The shadow only took a moment to pass overhead, and then it swept away and the pair were left standing still while the noise slowly returned to the air around them. Whatever had been rustling seemed to have vanished.

Arthur relaxed and began to straighten up, but Merlin didn't move. He stayed in the same position as when the shadow arrived, slowly looking around. The air seemed to be electrified now, and the tips of his fingers were dancing with a shivering charge that sent thrills up his spine. The air was full, very full, of magic. Magic that merlin had not felt in a very long time, magic that he hadn't expected to ever feel again, and magic that most certainly had not been in the air before. Merlin closed his eyes and inhaled, the sheer force of it was enough to invigorate and intoxicate him all at once.

"Merlin!"

With that the magic vanished in an instant. All the power that had been in the air dispersed, leaving the forest feeling empty and Merlin's head spinning. His eyes snapped open and he stumbled forward, the weight of the bag causing him to fall to his knees. His mouth felt dry and his ears were ringing as he pushed himself to his feet again.

"Don't just stand there like a dolt, come on."

Merlin swallowed, "You didn't feel it?"

"Feel what? The shadow?"

"No, not that," Merlin swallowed again, trying to regain his composure, "Something else."

"I don't feel anything I'm sure you just... imagined it."

"No, I don't think I did," Merlin spoke slowly, preoccupied with carefully examining the the forest.

Arthur sighed, "Well, whatever I heard is gone now, so stop gawping at the air and get moving. We've barely made it away from your clearing."

Merlin brushed himself off and started walking again, slowly mulling over what happened. He felt sure that the slithering rustle, the shadow, and the sudden burst of magic were all connected, but he couldn't quite figure out how. His mind was still muddled and fuzzy in a way that made it hard to think through what happened logically. He did his best to go over what had happened and what he'd come across in his life that might be relevant. No matter how hard he tried, however, he couldn't make heads nor tails of it. He began to suspect that the magic had done something to prevent him from focussing on the problem properly, the details kept slipping away and back again as he replayed the episode in his mind. The one part that stayed with him was the surge of powerful magic. Magic had receded somewhat with the fall of Albion, but this... This was the start of something big.

* * *

Thanks for reading, reviews are greatly appreciated.


	6. Chapter 6: Sandwiches

Thanks for the reviews, especially the suggestions for improvement. It means a lot to hear from people who read this. I don't own Merlin. Because, you know, enough people get confused that I decided it's best I just announce it.

* * *

Merlin had spent the last few hours of their walk in silence. He'd been thinking at first about what had happened, and the effects of it lingered even when he'd given up, bogged down in confusion, and moved his mind to other subjects. Arthur too had been quiet. They'd had to be more careful as they got further from Merlin's cabin and into areas where trees became more sparse and soldiers more common. Between that and the rockier terrain, their current progress was markedly slower than it had been earlier in the day. As Arthur paused to take out a water bottle, Merlin took the opportunity to look at their current path.

"Anything?" Arthur turned around, fiddling with the cap on the bottle.

"What?"

"I thought that the brief pause in the scuffling meant you were... looking ahead or whatever it is you do. Weren't you?"

"No, I was just, you know," Merlin stumbled to find an excuse before he caught himself, "Yeah, I was. All clear."

Arthur looked at him quizzically, "Alright then."

He returned his attention to the cap. After a few seconds, Merlin took the bottle and unscrewed it.

"It turns, see. I showed you this morning."

"Right," Arthur grabbed it back brusquely.

"You'll get used to it, the change, I mean. The time, how long you were gone, anyone would take a while to..." he drifted off under Arthur's gaze.

"Merlin. Stop blathering for once."

"Right. Yeah."

"Let's get going," he clapped Merlin on the shoulder harder than was necessary, and started to pick his way down the path again. Merlin grimaced, suspecting Arthur was more annoyed than he let on.

Merlin adjusted his pack and started walking, glancing up as he did. There would only be an hour or two before they'd have to stop walking for the night. A shadow blocking the sun shifted and he turned away from the glare. He sped up to close the gap between him and Arthur, his brow creasing in thought. He got the feeling that there was something going on that he had yet to figure out. The strange events earlier in the day practically confirmed it.

He glanced up at Arthur, his shoulders tense under the rucksack. It was strange seeing him in those clothes, seeing him through young eyes. It was strange seeing him at all. With all the thought he'd given over the years, and especially in recent months, to Arthur's return, it still managed to catch him off guard.  
Merlin was so sunk in thought that he forgot to check their path as it took them around the corner of a cliff. With shouts and snaps a group of five soldiers descended on them, circling the pair. Excalibur was in Arthurs hand in one silver flash. Everyone stood, wary, the silence ringing around them. The soldiers carried knives, except for the leader, who held a gun. Merlin's gaze fixed on it. He slowly began to shift his stance.

"Who're you and what's your business?" The leader spoke in a growl.

Arthur's eyes flitted to Merlin before he answered, "Look, we mean you no harm-"

A woman holding a knife let out a barking laugh. As the others glanced at her, Merlin seized his chance. Eyes flashing, he flicked his fingers at the gun, and darted his gaze to a branch above them. Both fell to the ground, the branch distracting the soldiers long enough for Arthur to take action. He swung Excalibur in a smooth ark, twisting the blade to knock a knife to the ground. In another swift motion he brought the hilt down with a crack on someone's head. The woman who'd laughed crashed into Merlin, knocking him over. He glanced at Arthur to make sure he was busy before muttering a spell to bring the branch swinging into her stomach.

Behind him, one of the others started shouting, "Enemy scouts, help!"

Scrambling to his feet, Merlin took off running. After a moment's pause, Arthur bolted too. Looking over his shoulder, Merlin saw three of the soldiers running after them. Doing his best to keep his eyes on where he was going, Merlin cast spells behind him as he ran, tripping up their pursuers and snagging their clothing on branches. Merlin and Arthur managed to gain enough headway to lose sight of their pursuers for a moment, though they could still hear them coming. Still running, they rounded another corner of rocky outcrop and saw a cave. They both darted in and pressed their backs against the wall, panting. Peering out, Merlin waved his hand to cover their tracks, then, with a furtive glance at Arthur, sent another set leading off in another direction. For the next few torturous moments the pair stayed pressed into the mouth of the cave, waiting as silently as they could.

After a short time that felt interminable, they heard the noise of the soldiers passing. It seemed there were only two now, the third presumably having returned to their base. After they'd followed his fake trail, Merlin closed his eyes and relaxed against the wall. Arthur shrugged off his pack and walked further into cave, sheathing his sword as he did.

"Well, this seems a good enough place to stay for the night. I don't think we should go out again today."

Merlin nodded and took off his own rucksack. Slowly, he began to go about the process of rolling out the sleeping bags and pulling out food. There wasn't much, so he only took out just enough for each of them. Arthur watched him from the cave's mouth for a moment before speaking.

"Couldn't you do that more quickly?"

"I suppose. I always have been incompetent though."

"No, I mean with your... magic."

"Oh, right. Habit."

"After 1500 years? You're slower than I thought."

Merlin didn't answer, he'd lost the habit more years ago than he wanted to remember, but now... He glanced haltingly toward the mess he had made unpacking and began murmuring a spell. The bag's contents repacked itself neatly, leaving just their sleeping bags and food on the cave floor. Arthur pushed himself off the cave wall and sat down, unbuckling his sword belt and taking it off as he did so.

"Do we need a fire for this food?"

"No, they're called sandwiches. Vegetables between bread. We'll need a fire for the canned stuff, but I thought this would be better tonight." Merlin picked up the plastic bag and looked at the two small sandwiches, "I hope the bread's not mouldy."

Merlin took one out of the bag and tossed the other to Arthur, smiling as Arthur looked startled. Slowly, he pulled out the second one and peered between the bread, "Measly gruel, mouldy bread. I'm not sure I can take much more of this food."

Merlin took a bite. Swallowing, he said, "It's not mouldy. The vegetables aren't even that bad."

Arthur ate some of his cautiously, "I'm not sure what you're comparing this to, but I can't say I agree."

"I grew the vegetables. It's the only way to get good food, especially since I've been lying low."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you're an awful gardener."

* * *

Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it. Any feedback is most welcome. Also, special thanks to dmcmeel412 who, with this chapter, has begun acting as beta for these things, that should fix the missed letters and words infesting my work.


	7. Chapter 7: Coming Back

I am definitely not someone with any ownership over Merlin masquerading as a teenager writing fanfiction... That would be crazy...

* * *

 _1500 years ago..._

Gwen sat at the round table, slowly flipping through one of many stacks of paper spread before her. A meeting had just ended, but she stayed behind alone, finishing up. As she turned a page and ran her quill down the new one, scanning it, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. She didn't look up, but kept her eyes on the page as she spoke.

"Just a minute, I need to finish up here."

"I can wait."

Gwen's head jerked up at the voice, and her eyes fell on a familiar face, "Merlin."

"Hello Gwen. It's nice to see you."

"You too, when did you get back? Here, have a seat. How have you been?"

Merlin took the seat next to her, "I'm alright. I got here last night, I stayed with Gaius and slept late. I would have visited when I got here, but Gaius says you've been having trouble sleeping."

Gwen waved her hand dismissively, "I'm fine."

"Gwen, really."

"Really, don't worry about me."

Gwen knew she looked tired, and Merlin didn't look much better. His eyes were sad and he looked thin, even for him. In the six months since the battle at Camlann his face had grown hard. It looked like he hadn't smiled once since that day. Gwen took in all this during the pause before Merlin's answer.

Finally he sighed, "Fine. You're queen of a whole country now. How's that been?"

Gwen gestured toward the papers on the table, "Very busy to say the least. There's so much to do. Reconciling old disputes, standardizing laws... And that's just the start of it."

"You're doing a great job. I'm sorry I didn't come back sooner, I could have...helped."

"That's fine. It would have been nice having you here, but from what Gaius has said you've already helped quite a bit."

Merlin bit his lip, "So...he told you then. I guessed when I heard you'd made magic legal, but I didn't want to say in my letters. Just in case... It seemed something for when I came back."

"I'd have told you I knew if I thought my replies would reach you, you're not easy to keep track of."

"Well, I'm back now. Anything you'd like to ask?"

"I'm still not sure how you kept it secret for so long. Morgana barely could, and you have more magic than she ever did."

Merlin shook his head, "It wasn't easy. But I did my best to do good with it. I - I saved his life, you know. More times than I can count," his voice faltered.

Gwen's throat clenched at the mention of Arthur, "And you never got any thanks, Gaius told me. I can't say how much that means to me. How much it would have meant to...him."

"I know. I told him, after the battle. Thank you."

"Don't thank me, you have more than earned my gratitude."

Merlin nodded slowly. A tight silence filled the room. He stood up, "You probably need to work. I'll go catch up with the others...leave you alone."

"Yes, thank you. You'll dine with me, though? Tonight. I want to talk more, about everything."

"Alright. See you tonight."

As he left, Gwen returned to her work, tears blurring her eyes. A few minutes later she pushed the papers away and, leaving them on the table, left the room.

...

That evening, Gwen and Merlin sat down together at the table in her chambers. There was a knot in Merlin's throat as he looked around the familiar room. For a minute or two there was silence as the two of them picked at their plates. It was Gwen who spoke first.

"What did you do while you were away?"

"You've heard most of the good bits. I spent some time back home, then wandered around a while. I just needed time to myself."

"I can understand." Gwen looked down at her plate. "Why did you decide to come back?"

"I wanted to come back at some point, I knew that I could be helpful here," he paused, looking hesitant, "But there's also been something happening in Albion. It felt like there was more magic everywhere I went, it was palpable. I wanted to talk to Gaius about it, and look at the books in the library."

"What do you think it is?"

"No idea. We still need to look into it."

Gwen nodded again and looked down.

Merlin ate a few bites then asked, "How's it been here?"

"It hasn't been easy. I've had to work so hard forging this peace, I've had little time to myself."

"But you've had help, the knights, Gaius."

"They do their best, but it's not the same. None of them were as close to...to him. You knew him best I think, even if he wouldn't admit it."

"I don't think he even realized half the time." A barely visible smile twitched on Merlin's lips.

Gwen's face lifted a little too, "No, probably not. But he had a good heart, beneath it all, and he really cared about being a good king."

Merlin looked at her earnestly, "He was one. And because of you everyone's going to remember that, Albion's being built in his name."

"It should be in yours too."

Merlin looked at his food. He opened his mouth and closed it.

"You won't take any credit, will you?"

Merlin smiled ruefully, "Who ever remembers the serving boy?"

Another pause welled between them. They returned their focus to the mostly full plates on the table. Merlin slowly began to eat, chewing each mouthful laboriously. Gwen pushed her food around, nibbling at bits, but leaving it largely untouched. After a while, Merlin swallowed and spoke up.

"I'll be staying around for good, not just to figure out what's happening."

A genuine smile spread across Gwen's face, "That's wonderful. You can have a seat at the Round Table, if you'd like. Your insight would be most valuable."

"I'd be glad to help. It'll be nice to be back in Camelot."

"Great." She took a small sip from her goblet then asked, "How did the knights take to your return?"

"As you'd expect," Merlin almost grinned, "But they seemed a little wary. Less talkative. I think they need time to get used to the fact I have magic."

"You're still the same person, I'm sure things will be fine."

Merlin nodded, but he didn't look convinced. He poked at his plate a bit before asking himself, "I can't believe Percival's growing that little beard."

A hint of a smile played on Gwen's face, "I know! He started about a month ago, I'm not sure it suits him."

"They finished rest of their meal, catching up and talking about old adventures. The conversation smoothed over the aching knot in Merlin's stomach, and he found himself smiling, ever so slightly. Gwen felt better too, though thin, piercing pangs still shot through her heart. When Gwen summoned servants to take the plates away Merlin's was clear, but Gwen's was still more than half filled. Merlin didn't say anything, but made a note to tell Gaius about it later. Slowly he stood up, nodding at Gwen.

"Thanks for the meal. I'm glad we were able to talk, I've missed being here."

"Yes, thank you for the company and conversation."

Merlin walked to the door, but turned around before leaving, "It'll get better, Gwen. One day the whole world will know how much you and Arthur have done for Albion. And for magic."

* * *

Thank you for reading. Reviews of any kind are welcome.


	8. Chapter 8: Rain and More Walking

I (still) don't own Merlin.

* * *

Merlin woke to a drizzling rain outside. The sky was slate grey, and what light made its way into the cave was thin and pale. With some difficulty Merlin pushed himself out of the sleeping bag and slowly picked his way around Arthur's form to the opening. He sat down and stared out at the dripping trees. It was still early in the morning, and he'd been woken up by a jumble of strange dreams. Pressing his hands to his eyes he struggled to remember. He got the feeling that the dreams had been of memories from long ago. Fifteen hundred years was a long time, much of it had faded from his mind. The outlines, the essential details, had stayed, but large spaces were fuzzy. It was something about when he'd first come to Camelot. Or was it when he'd returned after a trip? He remembered Gaius and Gwen, but he couldn't place Arthur in a way that made sense. It must have been after Camlann. How old had he been? The more he strained to remember the details the more they slipped away. There was something important though, he knew it...

The thought eluded him and he gave up. Sighing, Merlin turned back to the cave and started looking for breakfast. Moving as quietly as he could, he placed a small pot under a rivulet of water, pulled out a small bag of oats, and stood deliberating at the edge of the woods. Just as he was muttering words to summon wood from the forest floor, he heard a scuffling from behind him. He finished the spell and then glanced around. Arthur was sitting up in his sleeping bag.

"Good morning."

Arthur rubbed his eyes, "Morning."

"I'm getting breakfast. Hungry?"

"Not for gruel." Arthur reached for his jacket and shrugged it on.

"It's oatmeal or porridge or... I don't know, just not gruel. That makes it sound disgusting."

"Then it's very fitting."

Merlin turned to the wood piled at his feet and began arranging it just inside the cave.

"That's too wet to light."

Merlin grinned and held up his hand. The firewood dried and slowly began to light. Merlin carefully kept his eyes on the fire as he set up the pot, held over the fire on a large, flat stone. When he turned around, Arthur was watching him with an appraising look. Merlin ignored him and started rolling up his sleeping bag. Arthur got up and pushed his own towards Merlin.

"How much longer to Camelot do you think?"

Merlin paused to push Arthur's sleeping bag back. "I'm not sure. A day or two maybe, if we don't run into any more trouble. As far as I know the route we're taking isn't too occupied."

"And yet we were attacked yesterday."

"Well, the armies are moving, apparently. I can't be expected to know everything." Merlin finished rolling the sleeping bag.

"Apparently."

Merlin peered into the pot and stirred it, sighing, "We'll have to be more careful, just do something constructive and roll up your sleeping bag."

"I thought you were doing that."

"I'm cooking. Would you rather do that?"

"Merlin, you don't really expect me to do that, do you?"

"Yes. In case you missed it, you're not any better than me right now and I'm not about to run around doing whatever you say!"

Arthur raised his eyebrows, "You know, I don't think getting old suits you. You're far too impertinent."

Merlin ignored him. Instead he continued to attend to the pot. After a few minutes, Arthur roughly rolled up the sleeping bag, making as much scuffling as possible. When the oatmeal was finished cooking they ate quickly and used the rivulet of rain water to rinse out the dishes. It was still drizzling as they left the shelter of the cave and moved slowly over the slick leaves of the forest floor. As they walked, the trees grew increasingly thinner and Merlin had to check the way ahead more and more frequently as they twisted through ever-steeper rocks. The rain had left them slippery and the pair moved slowly not just to avoid detection but for caution of slipping. After about an hour they reached a flatter area and paused for a rest. The area around them was quiet. The rain had stopped; the only sounds were occasional plops of droplets off sodden trees and a faint whispering from the grass around them. The sun was just starting to peer out, its rays catching the beaded rain on the grass. Merlin took a deep breath and leaned forward with his hands on his knees.

"Toughen up Merlin, it wasn't that bad."

"Then why have you stopped?"

"To wait for you to waste precious time, moron."

"You stopped at the same time I did."

"Well-"

"And it looks like you're catching your breath."

"Just... Shut up. Let's keep going." Arthur set off.

"Alright, turnip-head." Merlin grinned and followed. He was starting to get used to being around Arthur again. He was still somewhat astounded, but it was feeling more natural, even if just a little.

The rest of the walk was easier. Though they heard noise from a few different camps along their way, they didn't run into anybody. Merlin covered their footprints with a spell whenever he paused to look ahead, each time taking less time to glance at Arthur. Once or twice when he paused to cast these spells he thought he heard something following, and he tried looking at the path behind as well as ahead, though he never saw anything. The sun was getting lower in the sky as Merlin and Arthur approached the edge of the trees they were walking through.

"We should probably start finding a place to stay for the night", Arthur said.

Merlin nodded, "As far as I can remember we should be able to make it to Camelot tomorrow night. I'll just have to take a look at the path."

"I don't think that's necessary." Arthur stopped as he emerged from the trees.

Merlin looked at Arthur as he joined him at the tree line, "It'll just take a minute, and I'll need to do it anyway since we can't just stop here..." as he spoke, Merlin turned his head slightly and did a double take.

The trees gave way to a sloping hill, and in the area at the base were amassed a huge number of tents, densely packed, with the glow of camp fires and gas stoves just visible here and there in the evening light.

"Oh."

"Oh? How did you not see this, you compete dolt! I thought you were supposed to be watching the path ahead, shouldn't this have at least registered?!", Arthur hissed.

"I can't see everything, I was just using it for short range, I had to focus on clearing our footprints too." Merlin took a step back.

"Really, because it seems you've been missing quite a bit?"

"I- I don't know why, there's something else going on, I think." Merlin let words blunder forth, hoping they would solidify the thoughts floating in his head. "There's... something else at work, something I can't figure out yet. There's just been this - I don't know - feeling, or-or power in the air..." Merlin cleared his throat, "I think it's interfering with my magic" he finished weakly.

"We've run into a massive army and all you have is a... 'feeling'...?"

Merlin swallowed, "Yes."

Arthur's jaw tightened, and he threw up his arms in frustration before sighing heavily and turning to walk along the top of the hill. With some trepidation, Merlin adjusted his backpack and followed.

* * *

Acknowledgment time! Thanks to all of you for reading, and thanks to anyone who has posted a review (keep it up!). Also, thanks to my beta dmcmeel412 for persisting through technical difficulties.


	9. Chapter 9: Fighting

Well, I'm back. And what's more, a day early! I had a lot to do for school, but now I'm not as busy and had time to write this. Thanks for the patience. As usual, I don't own Merlin.

* * *

"I still don't see why you're blaming me." Merlin pushed his way through the underbrush behind Arthur.

"Well, I don't know, maybe because you're completely useless!"

"What have I done beside miss one thing?"

Arthur abruptly spun around, "If we're keeping track: you've missed that group that ambushed us, fed me nothing but dead awful food, lead us straight into a bloody army, and, last I checked, you still don't know why you're young."

"I thought you didn't believe me about that?"

"Well then you're a liar and an idiot. Oh, and not to mention you brought me back just to solve all your problems."

"Wha- But- That wasn't me!", Merlin blustered.

"Well you certainly haven't told me what it was."

"I don't know what it was." Merlin looked around helplessly, "Anyway, why would you blame me for that, you're alive again, isn't that a good thing?"

"I've been dropped in the middle of a war I have no stake in. You tell me."

Arthur crossed his arms and stood expectantly, Merlin opened his mouth helplessly. Arthur turned and kept pushing his way through the brush around the valley.

Merlin followed, trying to make up for his pause, "I'm sorry, it wasn't up to me, a lot of things have been happening here that I don't understand. If I'd known you didn't want to be back, I- Well I couldn't have changed it, but I could have tried to make it easier."

"Oh, and how could you do that, dolt?" He released a branch which whacked Merlin in the face.

Merlin stopped and grimaced, then started walking again, this time more quickly. "Listen, clotpole," Arthur turned around at his tone and Merlin kept going, "I didn't ask to be involved in this either, and if the last several centuries are any indication, I won't be leaving any time soon. I didn't bring you here, and you didn't ask to be brought, but you're here. And, like it or not, you are Albion's saviour. Though I can't say I have any idea why it would be someone as lousy as you. But you're all we've got, so stop blaming me and start acting like it."

An awkward silence hung in the air after Merlin's speech. When Arthur didn't respond, Merlin shrugged jerkily and tried to start walking. Arthur blocked his way and blew out a thin stream of air.

"What did 1500 years do to you?"

"Just reminded me what an ass you can be." Merlin looked down and started walking again, avoiding Arthur's gaze.

As they walked, they maintained an awkward silence, interrupted sporadically by small, meaningless remarks. The sky got darker, and the forest they were walking through got thicker and thicker, and eventually the only way to get through was for Merlin to cut away at the branches and twigs with magic. Arthur tried Excalibur, but there was barely enough room to draw it, let alone swing it. In any case, the mass of bracken around them blocked out what twilight was left to them. After a few painfully slow minutes, Arthur stopped forcing his way forward.

"This is hopeless. There has to be another way to get to Camelot from here."

Merlin flung one last spell and leaned against a tree, "Well, there is, but it isn't quick."

"This is?"

"This is more direct."

"Well anything's better than this."

"If we go back downhill that way, we can take a longer path round this valley, and through some caves to get to Camelot. Only, there's a town in that direction that we'd have to pass through and almost every town is full of either citizens or soldiers."

"So why even bother bringing it up?"

"We could avoid the town, but it would add some time to the trip. I brought extra food, but I still don't know how long it will last."

"Hmph," Arthur paused, "Might as well risk it, I can't stand going this way."

Arthur sighed and started moving down the hill in the direction Merlin indicated. Though they needed to make up for the time they would lose during the detour, there still wasn't much further they could go that night. There were already stars pricking into existence in the sky, and the flashlight Merlin had brought, though it astounded Arthur, did little to illuminate their path. Since it was a clear night, they didn't spend long looking for shelter and decided to make camp at the bottom of the hill next to a large boulder. Not that there was much camp to make. They rolled out their sleeping bags and Merlin conjured just enough fire to heat up a can of soup for them to eat. They didn't talk. Now that they were no longer moving, Merlin found it harder to distract himself, and what Arthur had said about his resurrection hung in the air even more noticeably than before.

He swallowed the last of his soup and without looking up said, "I'm sorry about... you know."

Arthur was already getting into his sleeping bag and he merely rolled over on his side, facing the boulder, saying, "Don't worry about it. Let's just get some sleep."

Merlin lay down too, but he couldn't fall sleep. At first, he distracted himself by going over their revised route and how best to avoid soldiers in the areas he knew them to be, but his thoughts soon wandered. He was remembering more of the things he'd pushed to the back of his mind. Painful memories of Gaius, Gwen, and the others, especially the time following Arthur's death. The years that followed hadn't all been bad, in fact many of them had been happy ones once the worst of the grief had passed. But they were tainted by what came next, by the deaths of his friends, and by the years of loneliness that followed. He'd picked up a few acquaintances, he couldn't help it, but once he'd realized that he wasn't dying too, he'd avoided people, for the most part. Now that Arthur was back, he wasn't just remembering his years at Camelot (of all his life, still the time with them most memories), but remembering how to act around another person. Being young helped, and there were times it felt almost normal, but not quite. He wasn't sure how long it had been when he finally realized what was off.

"I thought we were friends." Merlin whispered, half hoping Arthur was asleep and wouldn't hear him.

"What was that?" Arthur mumbled.

"After you...died. I though that, when you came back, we'd be done with this. That we'd get along, things would be different. But you're back and nothing's changed."

"Well, dunderhead, what would you know about friends?"

"More than you. And I don't mean the insults, ass. There's something else. It's not that you're a king and I'm a servant, because we're not anymore."

"Well, you've made that clear. I don't think I've done so much work in my life."

"You've barely done anything!"

There was a pause. Merlin almost thought Arthur was going to fall asleep without answering when he said, "Well it's not just my fault. You've changed. I mean, you used to have a sense of humour, I don't know where that's gone."

Merlin ignored the jibe and answered seriously, "You've been gone a long time. You don't know what I've been through."

"Well," Arthur rolled over into a more comfortable position on his back, "I'm listening."

* * *

Thanks for reading. Please review, especially suggestions for improvement. It would mean a lot.


	10. Chapter 10: Coronation

I don't own Merlin.

* * *

 _1490 Years Ago..._

"Now being of age, and in absence of an heir apparent, you shall henceforth be Constantine, Crown Prince of Albion."

Cheering followed Gwen's announcement as the young man rose and turned to face the crowd that filled the throne room. Gwen watched with a small smile as Constantine acknowledged the crowd and went to walk among them. She'd regained her appetite within a year of Merlin's return, though she was not at her best. She was thin and there were faint shadows below her eyes for her sleep was still sparse. But despite that, she was still ruling fairly and well as queen regent.

Nodding to the courtiers, Gwen descended from the dais and walked to the side of the only person clapping less than passionately.

"Come on Merlin, he'll make a good king."

"I know, but he just doesn't seem...right. You know?"

"No one's good enough for you, are they? Constantine's a good fighter, he's clever, and he's shown all the marks of a fine ruler. Besides, he's from a noble family that's not from Camelot, so he's an excellent diplomatic choice."

"Hmph," Merlin shrugged noncommitally.

Gwen shook her head, smiling. "I had to pick an heir sooner or later, no one lives forever."

Merlin smiled too. "You are getting a bit old."

"Hey!"

But he had a point. Grey hair had started to appear at Gwen's temples, and Merlin's brow showed the starts of lines. Percival and Leon had both taken positions as advisors in favor of less frequent fighting. As for Gaius, the old man had persevered as long as he could and Merlin now acted as the court's physician as well as its sorcerer.

"Well, I'd better get ready for tonight." Merlin turned and started to leave the hall.

Gwen walked with him, "Royal socks to wash?"

"What?"

"Oh...Nothing, just something we talked about when Arthur was named Crown Prince."

"How do you remember that?"

"Just stood out, I suppose." Gwen shrugged. "Anyway, I'll see you at the feast. And try to look happy."

"I'll do my best."

Merlin walked to his chambers. They were the same as those he'd once shared with Gaius and the only change he'd made was the large and impressive collection of books on magic. He'd done a lot to restore and expand the collection in the Royal Library as well, working with Geoffrey (and later his successor) as well as the librarians in other courts.

Not that they horded the books they found. More often than not books had been confiscated but not destroyed during the years when sorcery was illegal. When Merlin or the others found such books, they tried to find those they'd been taken from and return the property. The most important thing for reestablishing magic was to make the information on it available.

Merlin washed his hands and walked to his work bench, working a curative potion that was finished brewing. Constantine would be alright, he supposed as he measured the next ingredient. He was a promising knight, and not hair-brained or ignorant. Merlin frowned as he stirred the concoction. He still couldn't help having his doubts about the boy. Merlin scoffed at this. He was getting older. Of course, he was only a couple of years past forty, but his increasingly sceptical outlook gave him pause.

Corking the potion and labelling it, Merlin set the finished potion aside for later delivery, then went to wash up before the feast. He straightened his shirt and pulled on the robe he wore to formal occasions. Peering at his reflection in the faded and speckled mirror above his wash basin, Merlin rubbed his chin. Maybe he should grow a beard...

* * *

Thanks for reading, thanks to my beta, and as usual any reviews are warmly received and greatly appreciated.


	11. Chapter 11: Legend

It's a bit later that expected, but it's here. I don't own Merlin

* * *

The morning dawned clear and warm. A slight wind started blowing as Merlin and Arthur ate and packed up camp. As they started to walk, Merlin could hear a rustle in the ground cover around them. They were both quiet. Merlin had started talking, haltingly, the night before. Telling Arthur about his life in broad terms. There was a lot to cover and Merlin suspected he'd be skipping a lot if he kept going. But he'd started after Arthur's death, and made it as far as his final departure from Camelot during the reign of Constantine's son. He'd tried his best to soften Gwen's grief when he mentioned it, but he knew Arthur was still affected by his description. Because of this, he'd also glossed over Gwen's death. That morning, he wasn't sure whether Arthur wanted him to continue or if simply explaining how he had lived after the deaths his friends, and their children (for some of the knights did marry), was enough to get Merlin's point across. Unsure of whether or not to speak, Merlin stayed silent, and Arthur seemed unlikely to say anything.

While they walked, Merlin thought over some of the parts he'd left out. Kilgharrah had died some time during Gwen's rule, though Merlin wasn't sure quite when because he hadn't needed the Great Dragon's help as much as he got older and more experienced. All he knew was that one day when he went to call him, there was silence for a long time and finally Aithusa had landed before him. Merlin hadn't called again for a long time.

Arthur stopped and glanced sideways at Merlin. "Which way?"

"Right." Merlin pointed through the trees along a thinly defined footpath.

Arthur opened his mouth, but caught himself.

"Don't worry, I've checked it."

Arthur nodded then, after a pause, said, "Will we be near soldiers any time soon?"

"I doubt it. We'll really have to be cautious in a few ki- in a bit when we reach the edge of the forest."

"Then what happened next?"

Merlin licked his lips. "Spent a few years as a hedge wizard. Then a few centuries wandering around." Merlin almost continued in the same easy tone, but he remembered that Arthur hadn't asked for _his_ fate either. "Honestly, it was hard. It took me...well, quite a long time to find a reason to... keep trying."

A shadow moved across them and Merlin looked up, a warm feeling passing through him. He almost stopped, as he had the first day, but a prompt from Arthur distracted him.

"You seemed like you were trying when I got here."

Merlin looked away from the cloudless sky and down at his feet. "I can't say for sure. Part of it was when I started to go into towns again and I saw what life was like. The social system was even less fair than the one you knew. But mostly it was the legends that started to go around." Merlin's brow furrowed, "Stories started to be told about you, and everyone thought they were just legends."

"People thought I was made up?"

"I can see why, it's hard to believe someone so thick-headed would exist."

"But how could they forget I really existed?"

"Camelot was gone, and there weren't historical records."

Arthur looked grave.

Merlin hurried on, "But it gave them hope! They wanted a hero and they chose you."

"Hm." Arthur adjusted the straps of his bag.

In the silence that followed, Merlin became increasingly aware of the noise of the woods around them. The tree branches were still dancing in the wind, from somewhere behind them came an incessant whispering hiss, and off in the distance he could hear a flock of birds. From under their feet as they walked there were still the crunches and cracks of the forest floor, causing Arthur to cringe whenever Merlin forgot to watch his footing and made an especially loud noise. Merlin tried to be more careful. After a while, once he'd checked they were still in a rather empty area, Merlin cleared his throat.

"More happened. I've still got another nine hundred, thousand years or so to cover. If you want...Of course, it's longer with details about the other four centuries."

"Merlin, not right now."

"It could be worse, a lot of kings were totally forgotten..."

"Merlin..."

"But there are stories about you still around now. Not all true, of course..."

"Merlin."

"But what can you hope for, really? After all this-"

"MERLIN!"

Merlin stopped blathering.

"Not. Right. Now."

"Right. Sorry."

But after a few minutes of walking in silence he pursed his lips and asked, "How'd I turn out then, in these stories?"

"Oh you know- valiant...brave...noble. Not a bit accurate."

Arthur smacked the back of his head. "I don't suppose they included you, did they?"

Melin grinned. "I'm an old man. The trusted and valued Court Magician."

"Well now I know they're inaccurate. Not the old bit, you've always been a bit..."

"Wise?"

"Out of touch. But no, anyone who could think that _you_ are responsible enough to be trusted needs to get their facts straight."

Merlin shook his head. "They don't include that you put on some weight over time, either."

"Well, good to know your stupid lies didn't spread then."

Merlin smiled broadly. They kept talking as they walked through the forest, and around noon they stopped as they reached the edge of the trees. Merlin dug some dried fruit out of his rucksack while they both drank some water. Before them was an emptier stretch of land covered in uneven grass. To the right, some distance off, there was the town, and ahead, passing perilously close to the edge of the town, was a rocky outcrop which, according to Merlin, housed the entry way to the caves that would lead them near to where Camelot used to stand.

* * *

Thanks for reading, and for reviewing (if you do...).


	12. Chapter 12: Borrowed

Chapters might come less frequently for a while, but I promise I haven't abandoned this story. I don't own Merlin.

* * *

Arthur and Merlin ate as they walked, until their path took them within sight of the edge of the town. Then Merlin stowed the nearly empty bag of dried fruit, and they needed to move carefully. During the war, towns had become more insular, less sprawling and so rather than fade into the country around them, they now seemed to start suddenly. Roads that had once lead to cities and towns were now either barricaded or too mangled to use. The particular town Arthur and Merlin were avoiding was bordered at one part by a small cliff, and it was along the base of this that they walked. Below the edge of the town as they were, anyone watching would need to look almost straight downward to see them, and they kept close to the edge of the rock. As they passed the part closest to a building, they heard voices drifting down. The words were indistinct, but the tone was clearly that of complaint. Arthur moved to keep walking past, but Merlin stopped him and whispered a spell. The voices clarified.

"All I'm saying, is that I've seen the size of the camp in that valley, and there's not much point in resisting." The speaker's voice was deep and adamant.

"What, just give up?", a second voice, a woman's by the sound, asked.

"Or try and join them. Whatever it takes to finish this thing. I dunno about you, but I'm not sure what we're fighting for anymore.", deep-voice grumbled.

"Were you ever?" A new voice asked grimly, "I only ever wanted to protect the people needing protecting when the first fighting started, and all of a sudden I'm part of the newest army."

"Look, I'm all for ending the war," the woman said, "But I don't think surrendering or joining up's the way to do it! I've heard some of the other sides talking when we go scouting, and they're no happier than we are."

The third person to speak laughed, "What? We should try and make peace?"

"And why not? You said you don't know why we started fighting."

Deep-voice grunted, "Well, best of luck on your diplomatic mission, but until then, don't be surprised if you see me on the other side of the next skirmish. Wouldn't be surprised if they ate better too."

With that, the talk turned to food, and Arthur gestured to Merlin to press on. Merlin thought about what they'd heard. He was trying to remember what exactly the first conflicts of the war had been over, when they reached a narrow opening in the cliff. Arthur peered inside the gloom. The sun slanting in illuminated a tunnel which went slightly down and away from the town.

"This doesn't look like it'll take us past. It just look like it goes away."

Merlin shook his head and walked forward, "It branches a lot, there's a turn later on that will take us past and around the edge of the town. It's about the same distance as going around above ground, but less dangerous."

"And how are we going to see?"

"We'll use the torches again, here. If they're not bright enough I can, uh, cast a spell."

Each with a flashlight in hand (Arthur holding his cautiously), they started to walk through the craggy tunnels through the rock. They were quiet at first, concentrating on watching where they were going, but as they moved further and further in and the darkness pressed in around the flashlight beams, Merlin started to talk. He picked up his story and, since Arthur didn't stop him and his memory for details came and went, made it though about half the renaissance in the hours they spent in the caves. A few times they stopped, both to drink water and for Merlin to map out their path with magic, not to mention to provide themselves with respite from the endless walking.  
But finally, the caves did come to an end and they emerged into a sizeable cavern partially lit by sunlight falling in thin beams to the floor. The farthest corner was in deep shadow, but other than that there was more than enough light to see by. Merlin slowed down as they entered, the cave felt off, something about the air was simultaneously stele, and rich with something he could not name. However, judging from the angle of the light, it was evening, and so Merlin pushed the thought to the back of his mind and got to work pulling out the food they'd need for dinner. Arthur sat down on a flat part of rock next to him.

"So what do we do from here?"

"It's about two days to Camelot from here, at least taking the safest route. I thought we'd set up camp and get an early start tomorrow."

Arthur rubbed his hands together absently, "Yes, but I mean once we get there. What do we do then?"

Merlin cleared his throat, "Well, uh, I'll have to check some of the papers I brought, but my main thought was to, well, I guess take stock of our position and, er, get a message out I suppose."

Arthur tried to meet Merlin's gaze, but the warlock kept his eyes on his rucksack, "Merlin, what's our plan?"

Merlin stood up, "You know, I should probably get some firewood. Why don't you get everything set up, and I'll be back in second?" He smiled, but not convincingly.

The area outside the cave wasn't very wooded. Merlin had to spend longer than he liked looking for wood and it put him on edge. More than once he thought he heard something, but it came from the west and whenever he glanced up to look, the setting sun got in his eyes. He convinced himself it was just and bird or a snake or some other animal.

When Merlin returned to the cave, Arthur was sitting with his shoulders slumped, "What's the point, Merlin?"

"What?"

"We're facing an entire country and we don't have a real plan, we don't have any knights or an army. And I've looked in your pack, we're running out of food. Even the stuff that comes in..." he gestured helplessly, "Those metal things."

Merlin set down the wood next to his sleeping bag, "We can still win. We can still end the war! You wouldn't have come back if there wasn't a good reason."

"How do you know? You've been here all this time and you still don't know what we should be doing!"

Merlin cast around for something to say, something about the darkened corner was making it hard to think, "You heard those soldiers we passed, they don't like the war, they want it to stop as much as we do. All the armies need is someone to unite them."

"Really? Unite them how?"

"You know..." the corner was tugging at him, wanting him to move, "Cast down the evil, bring back justice and peace."

"There's no evil this time Merlin. And even if there were, I don't have anything to cast it down with."

But Merlin barely heard him. There was something in that corner and, conjuring a flame in his hand, he walked past Arthur and straight towards it. There was a rough, eroded, moss covered stone there. Merlin increased the size of the flame and peered more closely at it, ignoring Arthur's confused and annoyed remarks behind him. The stone was roughly circular at the top, supported by other pieces of rock rather like... Merlin backed up and turned slowly in a circle, taking in everything again.  
"This isn't a cave," he whispered, "This... This is what's left of the Castle of the Ancient Kings."

"What are you- "

Merlin shushed him, "Can't you hear it?"

"Merlin if you say woodworm..."

"No! There's something there, around the table."

Merlin waved off Arthur's next remark and closed his eyes. He could feel it, around what was left of the table, miraculously still around after all these years. There was something... six somethings there, just on the other side of truly being present. When Merlin opened his eyes, they were blazing. Without know what he was doing, a spell began to spill out of his mouth. The air around them hummed and the somethings began to fade into view. Not somethings, someones! Their friends, looking no older than the last time Arthur had seen them, were slowing forming before their eyes. Elyan came first, then Gaius, Gwen, Percival, Leon, Gwaine. Merlin stumbled back as the magic filling the room released him and he lapsed into silence, his mind racing. Arthur for his part was staring awestruck. Gwen was almost fully present, and Arthur was starting to move forward. Merlin grabbed his arms, talking quickly.

"Arthur! Arthur listen, they're not really back like you are. They - they won't age, or stay, or..." Arthur was pulling free, "They're just borrowed!"

But Arthur wasn't listening. He pelted forward and, as Gwen faded into full solidity and looked up, swept her into a tight hug.

* * *

As usual thanks for reading and please review if you have any thoughts or feedback, it means a lot to hear from people who read this.


	13. Chapter 13: Hope

I know it's been a while, but I'm still writing, just more slowly. I don't own Merlin.

* * *

"Arthur!", Merlin hissed at his friend's back.

Arthur didn't move. His arms were still wrapped around Gwen. The others were looking around and slowly standing up from their places at the table. Merlin finally grabbed Arthur's shoulder and smiled briefly at Gwen as he pulled Arthur aside.

"Arthur, I really need to know that you understand this."

But Arthur shrugged Merlin's hand away. The knights were now gathered in a clump. Gwen smiling tearfully as she greeted Elyan. The other knights and Gaius were sharing less emotional reunions. Arthur rejoined them and the sounds of all the knights talking over each other filled the cavern. They seemed oblivious to Merlin, standing on the other side of beam of light stretching to the ceiling. He pushed through the group, his gaze set on Arthur and pulled him aside yet again.

"Arthur, you need to listen to me, don't get your hopes up."

"I came back and you haven't given me any good reason that explains that. Why is this any different?"

"That's what I'm trying to say. You need to understand!"

"Merlin." Gaius moved around the table and approached the pair. "I think we'd all like to understand."

Merlin turned and cleared his throat. When he spoke his voice shook slightly. "Well, uh, it's been 1500 years since Arthur died and, well, he's back. And all of you are too, only not the same way." His brow furrowed, "You're...'borrowed' is the best word. You're not alive again, you're more like ghosts with...mass. Only, you don't know what mass is. Ghosts with substance."

"Then why do we look like this? Most of us were older when we died", Gwen said.

"I'm not complaining. It might not make a difference for me, looks-wise," Gwaine grinned. "But I imagine for most of you it's quite refreshing."

Merlin ignored this comment. "I think that it's because of the last time you were here. Maybe something about the magic preserving this place and the table. Arthur came back in a different way... He'll age and all that, so he looks like himself when he died." He paused at Elyan's startled reaction. "And I'm not really sure why I'm...young."

"Why do you think Lancelot isn't here?" Gwen asked. Arthur looked at her sharply.

Merlin answered softly, "After what happened with Morgana, I think he probably can't, or maybe won't, come back."

Questions broke out among the group, mixed with quick and incomplete attempts at explanations. Arthur cleared his throat loudly. He addressed their newly arrived friends.

"Alright! I don't understand this any better than you, but we should take things one at a time. Except Merlin, we've been gone...a while. But we're trying to save Albion from a civil war."

"Why except you?" Leon looked at Merlin for the answer.

"I never died." No one said anything and Merlin suspected that they'd need a lot of time to understand. He looked at Arthur.

Arthur coughed slightly, "Well, we need a plan, but let's start with tonight. Merlin?"

"We, uh, that is to say, you... You can't keep wearing those clothes. I'll change them to something more like this," he gestured to his and Arthur's clothes.

In a minute, the armour of the knights had changed into jeans, t-shirts, and jackets; Gwen's dress much the same, and Gaius' clothes had become khakis and a button up shirt. Merlin left the knights' swords, just as he had Arthur, and with another spell he transformed the knights' capes and a portion of Gaius' robes into sleeping bags for the new arrivals.

"Sorry I couldn't make enough." He turned to Arthur and Gwen, "You two might have to share."

Over dinner, Arthur and Merlin did their best to explain everything that was happening. It took longer to explain to Elyan, though the others helped, but eventually they'd sorted out everything to their satisfaction and their talk turned to what they would do next.

...

"You mentioned that the soldiers are unhappy?" Leon asked.

Merlin nodded.

"That could work to our advantage", Leon mused.

"If we could get enough of them together, without the leaders..." Percival added.

Gwain waved the knife he was fiddling with. "But how? We can't be expected to wander the entire country for a few months."

"We might not need to." Gwen turned to Merlin, "Are there new ways to get messages to people?"

"Lots, though only a few are still reasonable."

"A good idea", Gaius nodded, "Perhaps you could help us with the more practical aspects, Merlin?"

"Maybe. TV and internet are too spotty... If we could find a way to get a message on the radio..." He grimaced, "I'll explain what that is..."

As Merlin spoke, Arthur watched quietly. There was something different in how the others, with the exception of Elyan, were addressing Merlin. The way not only that they spoke to him, but how they listened. Merlin held himself differently in response, and he seemed to lose some of the weight he carried himself with. Crossing his arms, Arthur tried to catch the end of what the others were saying.

"Assuming we get a message to the soldiers, what would we tell them to do? Meet somewhere?" Gwen leaned forward.

"Why not? Just tell them to gather somewhere and have our erstwhile king give them an inspiring speech." Gwaine shrugged.

"Where?" Arthur asked, "And will they even listen?"

"We have to assume they will," Merlin answered. "Regardless, we should pick a place to meet."

"Why not here?", Elyan suggested.

"Not enough room. What about Camlann, just like old times?" Gwaine grinned.

"No. Certainly not." Gwen's eyes flashed.

"It was just a joke!"

"Not a good one." Her voice was firm.

"Gwen, don't worry." Arthur took her hand, "I think we should just continue to Camelot. We were going there anyway."

Merlin nodded, "I think that makes the most sense. We can figure out more details tomorrow. As for now, I'm getting tired, and we'll need to get going at a good time in the morning."

The knights, Gaius, Gwen, and Merlin rolled out the sleeping bags and all found space on the rough floor. Though they didn't need it, the newly arrived members of the group were still able to sleep. After a few minutes everyone was asleep. Several hours later, Merlin awoke and wriggled out of his sleeping bag. It was still dark, and he rubbed his eyes as he fumbled his way to get a drink of water. Looking up, he saw a silhouette in the largest opening. Walking closer, he realised it was Arthur.

"What are you doing awake?"

"What? Oh, Merlin. Hello."

"Why are you awake?"

"I couldn't sleep." Arthur shifted his seat as Merlin sat next to him. "I still don't know what we're going to do."

Merlin licked his lips before speaking. "Neither do I. But we've got the start of the plan now, and more people on our side."

"But what makes you think anyone will even meet with us?"

"They're unhappy with the war. People need something to believe in."

Arthur was quiet for a long time. When he spoke, it was carefully, "You said I was a legend."

Merlin nodded, "One that's endured."

The pair sat together, looking out at the night, neither of them speaking. With a sigh, Merlin shifted his seat on the rocks and leaned back, supporting himself on his arms.

"Since neither of us are sleeping, do you mind if I talk?"

"Well, as unpleasant as your voice is, it's no worse than silence."

"Better my voice than yours."

"Hardly," Arthur scoffed.

"Well, I don't suppose you'd want to hear more about my life?"

* * *

Thanks for reading. If you have opinions, questions, feedback, or just like the story, please review! It's very helpful.


	14. Chapter 14: Alone

I don't own Merlin.

* * *

When morning came, Merlin was still awake. Arthur had gone to sleep hours ago, but Merlin had stayed up, thinking. He'd pulled out all the books and maps he'd brought and conjured light to read by. Staying outside, he'd devoted his full attention to the plan. It felt so gratifying to be working on something again, to be focussing on the kind of work he was good at. It also kept his thoughts off Arthur. When he'd offered to tell Arthur more about his life, he'd answered with a noncommittal shrug. As Merlin spoke, Arthur had listened, but he hadn't seemed as attentive as other days, so Merlin had stopped before he got too far and Arthur had gone to bed.

But now, as the sounds of the others waking up reached him, Merlin felt sure he'd worked out a plan. As he slowly gathered the books and papers he'd been using, stretching his stiff limbs, he heard the noises of waking up change to those of conversation. Merlin continued shifting the books he'd been using and checking the area around him. As he did, he went over what he'd just planned. Deciding to send out a message meant that they would need to get to a radio station somehow. Merlin had thought about using a spell to avoid another detour, but eventually dismissed the plan when he couldn't figure out how magic would help.

If they continued towards Camelot, but veered slightly off course, then the group would come across a village that Merlin was almost certain had been abandoned. As far as he could work out, it also had a small radio station and, if they were lucky, there would be some non-perishables that had yet to be taken by raiders. From there it would be simple to continue to Camelot and await the results. Merlin was still unsure about that part, but he reminded himself that he could always work that out with the others. The books were more than thoroughly gathered by now, but Merlin stayed outside while he went over the rest of what would come.

They were about a day from the town, and it was maybe an hour or two from there to where Camelot had once stood, assuming they didn't meet with any more obstacles. Merlin watched a snake wend it's way over the ground at his feet as he considered the final details of the plan. They were leaving the part of their journey that took them through woods and forests. Today would take them through overgrown farmland and open spaces. There were some caverns by the town (if they weren't blocked up now), but other than that they'd be totally visible. Creasing his brow, Merlin picked up the books and turned to go inside. But just before he did, he stopped.

He could see Arthur had found more of the dried fruit, and some jerky, and was eating a small breakfast. Their friends were sitting around him, and though he could hear their words, somehow they didn't register to Merlin. He saw the scene almost as a tableau. Arthur seemed happier than he had ever since he came back. All of them, even Gaius who sat ever so slightly apart, were talking and catching up with such friendly ease and Merlin felt something catch in his throat. It didn't seem as though time had passed for his friends. There had been no long, lonely gap between their deaths and their arrivals in this time.

It had been so long since Merlin had had anyone he talked with as he had with these people before him. So long since he'd even been in the comfortable, welcoming presence of other people. Arthur was one thing, he'd been prepared for his return for months, maybe even years. But the unexpected arrival of the others... It hadn't hit him fully last night, but seeing them now, it felt suddenly so clear. And so real. Merlin found himself rooted to the spot, watching the conversation but unable to move to join them. Shortly, Gaius looked up and caught Merlin's eye. With a quick word to the rest he got up and walked to where Merlin stood. Gently, Gaius lead Merlin a few feet away and sat down.

"What's wrong, Merlin?"

"Nothing. No, it's - I'm not sure."

Gaius was quiet, waiting for Merlin to speak.

"They grew old Gaius. They all grew old and they died." Merlin's voice was thick. "And I was alive and I watched - Watched as..." He clenched his jaw. "It all happened so long ago. You've been gone for so long. I'm stuck on it, Gaius. And all that makes me is an old man with my thoughts fixed on a short time in my youth. When I had-", but the words caught in his throat and he couldn't go on.

Gaius still said nothing, but he put his hand on Merlin's shoulder. Merlin squeezed his eyes shut as hot tears rolled down his cheeks. He hadn't done this with Arthur. Telling him about it, he hadn't sugar coated it, but he'd never really shown how hard it was for him.

Finally, Gaius spoke, "Merlin. I know I can't begin to understand this, I don't think anyone can. But I have seen you face extraordinary challenges even as an untrained boy. I have complete confidence that, whenever you are ready, you will be able to face this equally well. Until then I will do whatever I can to give you what you need."

Merlin coughed and sniffed before answering, "Thanks, Gaius. Just... take those books in and help everything get packed. I - I'll be ready when we have to leave."

Gaius smiled and stood up slowly, returning to the others and leaving Merlin alone. His tears had dried, but Merlin sat sombre for quite some time. He stared at his hands, turning them over slowly. He'd grown used to the feel of a young body over the past several days, but the sight somehow still seemed wrong. Merlin thought about what Gaius had said, and about his time with Arthur over the past few days. As accustomed as he was to being alone, there was still a part of him that ached for conversation. For the smiling ease he had watched earlier. He breathed deeply, steading himself.

"Merlin!"

He didn't have to turn his head to know Arthur was coming towards him, slowly.

"We're all packed, and I kept some of the fruit out for you. Are you ready?"

Merlin took one last breath before standing and turning. "Alright. Let's go."

* * *

So this chapter was pretty description heavy, but hopefully you enjoyed it. If you did, or if you have any thoughts or comments, please review. any feedback is appreciated. Thanks for reading!


	15. Chapter 15: Radio

It turns out that while remembering to write is easy, actual writing is hard. So I've slowed down, but I am still writing, and I hope you're all still enjoying this. I don't own Merlin.

* * *

Merlin joined the others where they stood ready, each carrying a sleeping bag. He picked up his rucksack and pulled the straps onto his shoulders. They were all looking at him expectantly. Clearing his throat, he tried to keep his voice steady when he spoke.

"Well, uh, to start with we'll be continuing in the same direction as Arthur and I have been going, then taking a detour to a town with a radio station. The main... main thing to remember is that we'll be pretty visible for most of the trip, so just...be careful. It'll take us about a day to get there."

Arthur nodded. "Alright. Let's get moving."

Merlin walked at the front of the group, though barely. If he could, he would have hung back - Gwen and Arthur both seemed ready to lead. But he knew the way and the others looked to him. Merlin wracked his brains, trying to remember how he should be acting, trying to think of something to say. Fortunately, he didn't need to. Leon approached him after a few minutes.

"Merlin, I wanted to ask. My son, did he...?"

"He had a good life. He had a good standing in the court." Merlin furrowed his brow, trying to remember. "I think he became a lord."

"That's excellent, thank you."

Leon was the only knight who had any children, though Percival had also married. Now that Leon had asked Merlin something, the dam seemed to break for more questions. Suddenly, the group were all talking over each other, working out a timeline of their lives in relation to each other, and discovering what important events had happened. Elyan asked the most, and seemed both baffled and glad by what he learned. Slowly, words came more easily to Merlin and he found himself answering more of the questions and leaving fewer to the others. After a while, Gwen asked, "Was Constantine a good king?"

Merlin shrugged. "Good enough, nothing spectacular." He glanced at Arthur.

"Come on Merlin, you're not giving him enough credit," Percival said.

"He may not have been up to your standards, but he did a very good job settling disputes and keeping peace," Leon added. "At least in my lifetime."

"I said he was good, didn't I?"

"Reluctantly," Gwaine scoffed.

Gwen grinned. "I think you spoiled Merlin," she murmured to Arthur. "He didn't like to admit when things went well."

"I think he's just a pessimist."

"Of course, because you've never given up hope, Arthur."

But this seemed to hit too close to home, Arthur's jaw tightened and he didn't answer. Merlin glanced down uncomfortably. The others didn't seem to notice, continuing the conversation without concern.

"Are we just walking in a straight line, Merlin?" Gaius came up beside him.

"Uh, no. No," he raised his voice and the others quieted to listen to the directions. "There should be a fence, or the remains of one, at the end of this field. When we reach that, we should turn right."

"Is it straight from there?", Gwen asked.

Merlin thought for a moment. "More or less, we'll need to turn a bit left to get to the town rather than the ru- Camelot. Of course, this is all assuming we don't run into any trouble."

The knights and Gwen nodded, but Gaius looked at Merlin warily. Quietly, so that only the wizard would hear, he said, "There's something you're not saying, Merlin. What were you about to say instead of Camelot?"

Merlin shifted his rucksack, "I don't know when I should tell the others, but Camelot's not there. Arthur knows, sort of."

"Well better you tell them than they get a nasty shock, though I wouldn't be surprised if they took it rather well. It is inevitable with time."

"Maybe, I just hope they're ready to see it."

"Well, what exactly is it we'll be seeing?"

The pair had fallen behind a bit and he watched his friends' backs for a moment before answering.

"I- I'm not sure. I haven't... been back there, not for at least a thousand years."

Gaius studied Merlin's face. He could see something in him that he related to, something he couldn't quite identify. Merlin coughed and shifted under Gaius's gaze.

"I think we'd better catch up," he muttered and, tugging on the straps of his rucksack, he hurried ahead.

The rest of the day went smoothly. As the conversation turned away from the years after his death, Arthur was more talkative, and though Merlin was a bit uneasy, he was able to push it to the back of his mind most of the time. As late afternoon approached, they came across the traces of a camp that had been there recently, but since there was no sign that the inhabitants were anywhere nearby (Merlin briefly searched with magic), they continued without too much concern. Shortly after they came across the camp, they came in sight of the outskirts of the town. Before they got too close, they stopped for Merlin to check the way. After confirming it was safe, the group followed Merlin though the streets to the door of the radio station. Once inside, the scene before them was disappointing. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust, and large parts of the equipment were broken or missing. Merlin found a light switch and flicked it, but to no avail. Like most buildings now, this one had no power. Casting a spell to wipe the dirt off the window, Merlin put his bag on the ground and started examining what was left of the equipment.

"Is it supposed to look like that?", Gwaine whispered.

"Of course not, even if you have no idea what that is, you can see it's broken," Arthur answered scathingly.

Leon shushed him, "I think Merlin's trying to concentrate."

"Of course," Gwaine muttered. "But on what exactly? I don't even recognise what that's made of."

"Neither do I, but I'm sure he's planning something," Gwen mumbled.

"Honestly?" Arthur turned to them incredulously. "This is Merlin, the useless servant!"

"He can do something, you'll see," Gwen put her hand on his arm.

The whispers continued, but Merlin ignored them. He closed his eyes and brought up his magic. Slowly, carefully, he got a feel for the machine in front of him, testing what was left. Merlin had taken some time to learn to use his magic on technology, but once he had, it was as easy as anything else. He was in his element here. The spells came naturally, easily, and his eyes glowed with a slow consistent light. Merlin smiled slightly as he caught snatches of Arthur's voice behind him. Now that he'd gotten started, he was sure that it would work. He could use magic to get the right parts working again, that would give him the frequency, then more spells would actually transmit whatever message they needed. It would be more magic than radio, since most of the useful components had been salvaged by people looking for parts, but there was enough radio left to make it work. One final spell, and Merlin finished. He straightened up and turned around, triumphant.

"Alright, now all we need to do is pick someone to say our message."

* * *

Thanks for reading, please review!


	16. Chapter 16: Going Underground

Fun Fact: while writing this, I found myself accidentally talking about a conversation between Melvin and Gains. Thank you autocorrect.

I don't own Merlin.

* * *

 _"If you're hearing this, I have an invitation for you. We're all tired, we're all worried, we all want this fighting to stop. If you're ready for peace, ready to make it happen, come to the coordinates at the end of this message. But, before you make up your minds too quickly, try and think - what are you fighting for? My name is Arthur. I've seen what happens when a country doesn't work together, and I've seen how much better things are when it does. If you come, you're not coming to fight. I hope to see you there."_

The message had been broadcasting on repeat all evening and through the night, followed by the latitude and longitude of Camelot's former location, spoken by Merlin. After setting the message to broadcast, they'd stayed in the town for the night planning to go to Camelot the next morning. Merlin had been tired from his sleepless night, but he still hadn't fallen asleep right away. The more he felt comfortable with the others, the more he was reminded of the distance between them. Though he felt selfish admitting it, he missed when just he and Arthur had been making this journey. At least Arthur would speak directly to him then.

In the morning, Merlin outlined their path for the day while he and Arthur ate breakfast. They'd rummaged throughout the grocery store last night to replenish their food supplies, and they'd even found some wild berry bushes on their way there, which made a nice change from the dried fruit they'd had until that point. Everyone watched as Merlin drew a rough map in the dust on the floor.

"We're here," a dot, "and Camelot is here," another dot, not quite in line with the first, "We could follow an abandoned road, but that would take us like this," he made a line connecting the two dots with an arc, "So instead, I think that we should go through tunnels that will take us in a much straighter line. Assuming they're not caved in. But even if they are, I can probably clear them."

"Alright, but what do we do once we get there?" Gwaine asked, popping one of Arthur's blackberries into his mouth.

"Hey!" Arthur hit him.

"You don't even need to eat," Elyan said, smiling.

Gwaine shrugged. "I can still taste."

Gwen cleared her throat. "I believe we were discussing our plan. Merlin?"

"Oh, right, when we get there... Well, we wait, and hope people show up."

"And if they do?" Gaius asked.

"Then we can talk to them, arrange discussions between them."

"That's a good start, but it's unlikely that everyone will be ready to lay down arms immediately," Gwen reasoned. "We should be prepared to fight, if we need to."

"That's a good point, but we are offering an end to the fighting," Leon said. "Mightn't they be unwilling to follow us if we need them to battle?"

Merlin cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Well I was planning on Arthur convincing them," Merlin looked over at him.

Arthur looked back at him and answered levelly, "I'll try, it's a good enough plan."

"Good," Merlin hesitated. "There's something I should tell you. Camelot... well, we're going to the same place, but, er, there's not exactly a castle there anymore. There's not exactly anything there anymore."

He waited, unsure of what to expect in reaction. There was a moment's pause, then Gwaine said, "Well, that won't stop us meeting there will it?"

"Alright, good." Merlin nodded and stood up and brushed off his hands. "Well then, we should pack up."

They left the town cautiously, and were soon back in fields similar to those they'd walked through the day before. Merlin had pointed out the direction they needed to go, but the path was clear enough that he didn't need to take the lead. He walked toward the back of the group with Gaius.

"The plan will work, won't it?"

"It will be fine," Gaius assured him. "I'm more worried about you."

Merlin glanced at him, surprised. "What? Why?"

"I expect you've done quite a bit of travelling in your time, Merlin, and I don't think there are many places you'd avoid. But, if you haven't been to Camelot since we lived there, I'm concerned about your reasoning."

Merlin swallowed. "I just didn't want to be reminded of..." he glanced ahead for a moment, "of all of you. But, I'll be fine Gaius."

Gaius regarded him carefully. "I see."

"But there is something I want to talk to you about. There's a lot that's been happening that I can't understand."

"Oh? In what way?"

"Well, first, I woke up the morning after Arthur came back, and I was like this. I came across a strange presence that Arthur seemed oblivious to, and your..." Merlin struggled to find the right words, "...spirits, I guess, were waiting around the table. I can't understand."

Gains raised his eyebrows, "There's no precedence for any of this?"

"Not that I can remember. There's something else, I keep getting the sense that there's something... stirring, I suppose. And, Gaius, I don't know why the war started."

Gaius nodded slowly. "I'm afraid I don't have much that I can help you with Merlin. But it certainly all sounds heavily steeped in magic."

"Yes..." Merlin's brow furrowed.

"Is there someone else you can ask about this, other sorcerers perhaps?"

Merlin pulled himself away from the idea he'd just had. "Uh, no, there hasn't been anyone else who can use magic for a long time, so I can't ask anyone. And as for Arthur..."

They had reached the tunnels by this point and they had to duck low to enter. Merlin pulled out his flashlight, glad to see that Arthur had done the same and was turning it on with some hesitation. Once inside, the tunnels were just tall enough to stand up in and the group moved forward at a slow pace.

Gaius resumed the conversation, "And how has our erstwhile king been?"

"Mostly alright." Merlin looked ahead, watching Arthur, who was speaking quietly with Gwen. "I- I think he's getting use to knowing that I have magic, Gaius. Knowing who I actually am."

Gaius looked at Merlin, but didn't speak.

"Sometimes I worried that he wasn't- that he didn't want to come back. I didn't do anything to resurrect him, he just came back, but... I just hope he doesn't blame me."

"Merlin, I'm- What's this, why are they stopping?"

They'd just come around a slight bend, and the others had pulled up short.

"Merlin..." Arthur spoke quietly, but annoyance was creeping into his tone. "Would you care to explain this?"

* * *

Thanks for reading, please review.


	17. Chapter 17: Arguement

I don't own Merlin.

* * *

Merlin pushed his way passed the others to where Arthur stood.

"Wh- Bu- But, this doesn't make sense!"

"Yes, well I know that, idiot. Because, there's only one reason you wouldn't mention the chance of encountering something dangerous - if you were a complete moron!" Arthur hissed.

Before them lay several pale, bald shapes, each about a foot long, apparently asleep.

"I clearly didn't know about them, cabbagehead!" Merlin hissed back.

"Well great job being prepared!"

"I was prepared! One, Wilddeoren lived in the Tunnels of Andor, which this isn't. Two, forgive me if I didn't expect to run into an extinct creature!"

"I'm not sure you know what extinct means, Merlin."

"I can't believe I ever missed you."

Arthur barrelled on, "Well, they're definitely alive," he gestured to the babies before them, "and breeding!"

"Yes, thank you, I do have eyes, clotpole."

"Good for you, but I'm still not hearing an explanation."

"I don't have all the answers!"

"Do you have any?"

"I almost wish you'd stayed dead!"

"You're not alone!"

"Shh!" Gwen stepped forward.

Merlin and Arthur were staring at each other, all anger drained from their faces. Gwen didn't notice.

"You'll wake them if you keep fighting. They're clearly babies, and they're still asleep, so if we can just get around them..."

One by one, the group moved past the sleeping Wilddeoren. They shifted in their pile a few times, but didn't wake up. Last came Arthur and Merlin, not speaking. Once they were past, they stood awkwardly, not moving.

"Arthur, Merlin," Gwen called, "You two have the lights, so if one of you could come to the front, we can get moving again."

Merlin stepped to the side, and Arthur walked slowly to the front, Merlin staying behind. Gaius tried to talk to him, but he just shrugged and looked down. The rest of the way through the tunnel was quiet. No one wanted to risk disturbing any more of the Wilddeoren. Merlin was thinking. He tried to piece together what he knew, figure out what exactly was going on. He focussed on solving the problem, trying to ignore the sick feeling in his stomach when he thought about Arthur. He'd just been telling Gaius that things had been better, and now-

He shook his head. He needed to determine what was happening. Why he kept encountering problems that he couldn't explain. He didn't have time to worry about Arthur. Despite himself, he looked up at the group in front of him. Arthur wasn't walking next to Gwen anymore, instead he was just behind her, holding the light so that she could see, but letting her lead. Merlin tried to make out what Arthur was feeling, but between the dim light and the rucksack, this was difficult to do. Even if he could see Arthur clearly, Merlin wasn't sure there would be anything visibly wrong.

The tunnel seemed unending, but finally they emerged into the open air. The sky was overcast, and Merlin glanced up as a particularly dark shadow passed over where they stood. His friends were standing expectantly, just outside the opening, and he realised they were waiting for him to show them the way.

"We should just keep going that way, uphill, and when we reach the top we're there."

Merlin could feel a knot growing in his throat as they climbed the hill. It didn't take very long, but it felt like an eternity. There was conversation around him now, but Merlin didn't check what Arthur was doing. When they finally reached the top, he steeled himself to look at the view. It was surprisingly plain. He could recognize parts of the landscape, but time and the war had changed so much that he might not even have known he was standing on the former site of his home of so many years. The hilltop itself was large and rather bare. There were two trees toward the centre and Merlin managed to set up a tarp between them for some shelter, with the sleeping bags and rucksacks in a pile beneath it. He found himself wishing he'd brought a tent, although he knew it wouldn't have fit.

Arthur had already retrieved some food for lunch, so Merlin pulled out his own share and sat down to eat it. He wanted to talk to Arthur, but the knights (and Gwen with them) decided to spend the afternoon practicing swordplay, and Merlin let himself use this as an excuse. He and Gaius sat by the trees and looked over the books, though Merlin didn't expect to find anything that useful. In fact, most of the time he found himself staring blankly ahead and thinking. No one else arrived to join them that day, and dinner was subdued despite everyone's attempts to remain optimistic. As it got dark, they rolled out the sleeping bags and Merlin cast a spell to keep them dry incase it rained.

As the others fell asleep, Merlin stayed awake, staring at the sky. Finally, he glanced over at Arthur and saw him lying awake next to Gwen. Hearing the movement, Arthur turned his head. Carefully he got up, and walked away from the others. Merlin followed, with somewhat more noise. They sat on the grass in silence for a few minutes. Then Merlin spoke.

"I didn't mean what I said. About you staying dead, I mean."

"Neither did I, not completely. It's hard being back, Merlin. Nothing's the same."

"I know, but I thought you were doing well enough. I thought we were."

"Well, you didn't die, it's not like you can relate."

"Is that why you haven't been talking to me since the others got here?"

Arthur didn't say anything. A light mist of rain started falling.

Merlin was about to say something else when Arthur said, "They all respect you, Merlin, even Elyan. And I can tell Gwen was a great leader, I just feel like...you didn't really need me for anything."

Merlin tried to think of what to say. Everything that came to mind sounded false, the expected words.

Arthur started to get up, "See, you can't even say I'm wr-"

"I didn't miss them." Merlin waited for Arthur to sit back down before he continued. "I did at first, obviously, and even later I thought about them all the time, but after a while it didn't occur to me to miss them. But I missed you. I know you're a complete prat, but you did a lot of great things and I was glad to help you do them. Gwen was a great queen, and yeah, I stopped being just a servant. But as much as we did, you were the one to unite all of Albion." Merlin sighed, "So guess what, dollophead, this probably isn't surprising because it happens so frequently, but you're wrong."

There was a long pause. They were sitting outside of Merlin's spell and the rain soaked into their hair and clothes.

"Merlin," Arthur said at last, "we need to stop having conversations at night. I don't know if you're actually being wise, or if I'm just too tired to tell the difference."

Merlin grinned, "That's the secret behind my genius."

Arthur didn't answer, and Merlin extended the spell just far enough to cover them. They both stayed silent for a while as the drops hit the invisible barrier and disappeared. Merlin expected Arthur to get up and go to bed, but he didn't, so the two of them stayed there, listening to the rain.

* * *

Thanks for reading, please let me know what you thought.


	18. Chapter 18: New Arrivals

New chapter! I hope you enjoy. I don't own Merlin.

* * *

"Merlin... Merlin!"  
Merlin rubbed his eyes and propped himself up on his elbows to look at Gaius kneeling next to him.  
"There's a group of people here, Gwen's talking to them. I thought you'd want to know."  
"Mmph," Merlin pushed himself into a more upright sitting position, "Thanks. Is Arthur up yet?"  
"See for yourself," Gaius raised his eyebrows.  
Merlin glanced in the other direction and saw Arthur lying on his side a few feet away, still asleep.  
"Oh. Well I'd better wake him up then."  
"And may I ask why the two of you did not make use of more comfortable sleeping arrangements?" Gaius asked as Merlin stretched and dusted himself off.  
"Well...it's a bit boring, isn't it? Sleeping where you're actually comfortable."  
"Ah. So you went for the more interesting option then?" Gaius looked at him, unimpressed.  
"That's it." Merlin grinned quickly and then turned to get Arthur.  
Arthur was difficult to wake. Merlin wasn't sure when they'd fallen asleep, but obviously neither of them had expected it. He shook Arthur again and dodged a swat aimed at his head.  
"Come on, rise and shine."  
"Merlin... Go away."  
"You really should get up. There are people here, you don't want them to learn you're a lazy slug, do you?"  
Arthur opened his eyes and looked at Merlin, annoyed, "I am _not_ a lazy slug."  
"You can't expect them to believe that unless you get up."  
Arthur stood up stiffly, "Idiot."  
"Yes, you'll have to hide that, too."  
Arthur gave him an infuriated look before turning and walking away. Merlin, smiling, followed him towards where Gwen stood talking to a clump of rather dishevelled people. The knights were helping some of them move disassembled tents to a flat part of the hill. When she saw Arthur and Merlin approach, Gwen broke off what she'd been saying.  
"Oh, here they are. Everyone, this is Arthur and Merlin. As I was saying, it's their plan that we're working off of here. Emily was just explaining that they heard our message yesterday afternoon."  
A woman with long brown hair near the front of the group nodded. "Most of us," she gestured behind her, "were holed up in an old barn. Our radio doesn't usually work, but it picked up that message and we decided to check it out. We met up with the others on the way. They were sneaking away from one of the armies."  
"Well, we're glad to have you. I know that it takes a lot of courage, not to mention trust, to come here, but we do have the power to stop this," Arthur said.  
"Thank you," Emily smiled, "I wouldn't be surprised if we were just the first of many."  
She wasn't wrong. As the day progressed, more and more people arrived, in somewhat baffling numbers. Merlin had expected, or at least hoped for, the civilians from the nearby vicinity, but he was surprised to see soldiers from all five armies. He'd thought there were only two or three close enough for anyone to arrive that soon. Over the course of the day he spoke to a lot of people, and eventually he learned the reason for this. Apparently, each of the armies had moved towards the surrounding area since he'd last heard information about their locations, which gave some explanation for the large camp that had blocked his and Arthur's way. But the explanations still felt strange, and it stuck in his mind for the rest of the day.  
Many of the groups brought food with them, and some even had enough to share with those who had less. As a result, Merlin and Arthur's dinner was better than the food they had been getting used to, thanks to those people who had been able to grow some vegetables and bring them. As they ate, and their friends sat with them, they all discussed what they'd learned from the new arrivals.  
"Well, all of them are certainly genuinely interested in peace," Leon said.  
"That's good," Arthur nodded.  
"What he's not saying is that not all of them seem to think that this will be a successful way of achieving it," Gwain added.  
"They're here, aren't they?" asked Gwen. "They must at least think it's somewhat plausible."  
"Or they just want to come and watch the failure unfold," Arthur said dryly.  
"I don't believe that," Gwen was firm.  
"It might help matters," said Gaius, "if they had a little more information."  
Arthur sighed, "We don't have a lot to give them, they know why they're here."  
"I am aware of that," Gaius spoke levelly, "but from their perspective, the information must seem a little sparse. If Merlin, or you, or Gwen were to speak to them and provide more information they would have more confidence in us."  
Arthur considered this, "I'll speak to them when more people have arrived, perhaps in a few days. Until then, if they ask any questions answer as truthfully as you can."  
Merlin cleared his throat. The others turned to look at him, "Actually, there is one thing I wanted to address on that subject. If anyone asks who Arthur is, or who we are, it might be better if we didn't tell them the whole truth. It might be a bit difficult for them to, uh, accept."  
"What should we say?" Percival asked.  
"Just say that we want to help, or that we have some experience in this sort of thing, just don't start talking too much about everything."  
The others nodded, though they looked a little confused.  
"They don't really think that sorcery is real," he explained, "and, well, they probably won't believe you if you say that Arthur is Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot," he swallowed, "The thing is, there are some rather well known stories about him. And the rest of us."  
This brought an uproarious reaction from the people around him, and Merlin found himself having to answer a lot of questions. He spent the rest of the evening explaining the legends to them, to annoyed and amused reactions.

* * *

Thanks for reading, and thanks to my beta for helping me edit. Please review with any thoughts you have. I write more often if I think people are actually reading and enjoying this.


	19. Chapter 19: Approaching Threat

I failed. In the flashback chapters I included mentions of Gwaine, somehow forgetting that (SPOILER) he died at the end of the series. Maybe I didn't want to remember, who knows? Point being, I fixed those chapters, Gwaine was dead for them. If you're reading this for the first time after early September 2016, you won't even know what I'm talking about. Sorry for the mistake, also sorry for Gwaine fans who might have thought I had hime alive on purpose.

I don't Merlin

* * *

The next day the numbers swelled once again. Not only had people arrived in the night, but more and more larger groups arrived throughout the day. Once again, those from Camelot spoke to the new arrivals, and those who were already there. Arthur had been thinking about what he would say to the people and he wanted a better idea of what they thought about him, and the plan. Gwen spent some of the morning helping those who arrived settle in, but after a while Gaius took over for her and she went to speak with some of the others. She found Emily not far away and stopped to talk.

"You're finding everything alright here?"

"Yes. Thanks for asking," The two of them started to walk through the tents and people spread out on the hill, "Gwen... Is that short for something?"

"Oh, uh, yes. Guinevere."

"Lovely name."

Gwen smiled, "Thank you. Any reason why you ask?"

"Just wondering."

"I see," Gwen thought for a moment, "I was wondering... Have you heard anything about what people think of our plan?"

"Most of them seem interested, even hopeful. But... I'm a little worried about some of the chatter I've been hearing from the soldiers."

"Chatter?"

Emily lead Gwen a few steps away from a family nearby before speaking, "Probably - hopefully nothing. Some of them have mentioned that the higher-ups in the army don't seem to be thrilled with this gathering."

"Well that's unsurprising, we never expected this to go easily."

"Yes... But I've heard some people mention that, and it might just be rumour, but, as I said, mention that there are plans of an attack."

"An attack. On us?"

Emily nodded.

Gwen bit her lip, then looked up and smiled, " Don't worry. I... I'm sure we can be ready for it."

"I hope you're right."

Gwen nodded slowly, "Well thanks. I should be going, I need to check on something."

Walking quickly, Gwen scanned the crowd, looking for Arthur. She saw Merlin first, and hurried over. He turned to look at her and his brow creased when he saw he face.

"Gwen. Is something wrong?"

"Have you seen Arthur?"

"Not recently, why?"

"It might be nothing, but there's something I need to tell you. Both of you."

"Alright, come on, we can talk over here."

Gwen followed him, explaining as she did, "Apparently, some of the soldiers have been saying that the more powerful people in the armies might be preparing to attack."

Merlin looked at her calmly, "Do you know any details?"

"No. But I thought you needed to know. I'm not sure how this will change the plan."

Merlin nodded. "We can work around it." He placed a hand on Gwen's shoulder. "I'll tell Arthur."

"Alright," She started to leave, then turned back, "Have you found out anything interesting?"

"No. Not really."

But, as a matter of fact, he had. No one had told him, or asked him questions, but he'd heard mutterings that Arthur and his friends were in fact the figure of legends. Merlin suspected their names, especially his, had started the idea, but he couldn't be sure that one of the others hadn't let something slip. He still wasn't sure if the rumours would help or hurt their cause. A strangely large number of people seemed drawn to the idea, contrary to what Merlin would have suspected. But that didn't mean they'd be more likely to work with Arthur. It made it more possible that they would just want to see what was about to happen, and had more interest in the spectacle than the cause.

It was harder than he expected to find Arthur. He went over the whole area twice with no luck. Finally, he spotted him halfway down the slope and went to meet him. Arthur was seated, and he didn't seem to notice Merlin's approach. Merlin sat down next to him and sighed.

"What do you want, Merlin?"

"That's not a very good start. Why don't you try again with something like, oh, I don't know... Hello?"

Arthur looked at Merlin, unimpressed.

"Alright then. I've been trying to find you for at least twenty minutes, what are you doing here?"

"Just...taking a break. The crowd's a little chaotic."

"Makes sense."

"So why are you here? I take it you didn't just want to see where I was."

"Uh, no. There might be more trouble than we hoped. It's possible some of the army leaders are planning an attack."

Arthur frowned, "Right... Well, we need to start forming a strategy, then. I'll need to talk to the knights, and figure out who's willing to fight. That will be challenging, considering we invited them here for peace." Arthur sighed heavily. "Better start sooner rather than later."

"I can help."

"No offence Merlin, but you don't really know much about strategy, best leave it to the experts."

"You don't know everything about me. I can help. I know about what's going on here better than you."

"Alri-"

"And I've had more experience giving advice on this sort of thing than you know, and you can't expect me not to help, this was mostly my plan."

"Alright! You can help, please, just..." Arthur stood up, "Stop talking..."

"Right, yes. Quiet." Merlin stood up too. "We should get started then, shouldn't we? I mean, if we expect to get the plan in order-"

"Merlin. Shut up."

The rest of the day was mostly uneventful, as they worked on the best way for their plan to proceed. It was decided that Arthur should talk to the group the next morning. Should they be attacked, anyone who wanted to defend themselves or fight back would be organised to do so, anyone else would be lead by Gaius to a safe place. Several different plans of attack were formulated, depending on how many people stayed. As the afternoon drew on, the hill was covered by people. Not just the top now, but the slope on all sides. But this was dampened by the sight of the lights that began to show in pinpricks in the distance. The armies were indeed approaching. Merlin used magic to view their foes, and confirmed what the knights had learned from those who joined them that day: few of the soldiers had stayed with the opposing forces. This gave them hope, but there were enough to still pose a serious threat, and mood was still grim.

An hour or two after dinner, Merlin noticed Arthur walking towards one of the few empty areas of the camp. He almost followed him, but stopped himself. Arthur wouldn't be going if he wanted company. A short time later Gwen went for a walk and found Arthur sitting on his own, looking out at the view from the hill.

"Looking for familiar sights?" She sat down, "That's what I've been doing."

Arthur nodded, "You can sort of see it in the general shape of things."

"Arthur... You should get some sleep tonight. It doesn't seem like you have been recently."

"I haven't. There's been so much on my mind."

"Of course, it's a lot to think about. But you're not alone in this."

Arthur smiled, "I know that. Merlin won't give me a moment's peace."

"Do you want me to go? If you want to be alone..."

"No, I don't mind."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, of course."

Gwen smiled, "It's been so good to see you again, Arthur."

"You too," He paused, "Were you alright after- after I was gone?"

"Not right away, no. But eventually... I had enough good memories of you that those were what remained."

"Good. I'm glad," Arthur was quiet for a while, then he stood up, "I should find Merlin, I want to go over something with him."

"I'll come with you, I think I'm going to go to bed soon."

Arthur nodded, "You know - and don't tell him I said this - but Merlin's actually not bad at planning."

* * *

Thanks for reading, please review!


	20. Chapter 20: Preparations

I don't own Merlin.

* * *

 _Emrys..._

Merlin was sharply awoken in the early hours of the morning and sat blinking in the dark. For a moment he thought he saw a large shape block out the stars and catch the light of the moon, but he looked again and there was no sign of it. He lay back down and sighed. Merlin rolled over and tried to remember what had woken him, but he couldn't. He was distracted by a faint tug at the back of his mind, trying to coax him towards...

Towards what? He couldn't tell, but it wouldn't let him get back to sleep. Sighing, he sat up again and wriggled his way out of the sleeping bag and picked his way towards his bag to find his books. He saw Arthur lying near the bags, without a sleeping bag, and was careful not to wake him when he pulled out the volume he was looking for. Moving away from other people, Merlin conjured a small light and began to flip through the pages, searching.

...

"Merlin...where's my armour?"

"I, uh, didn't bring it."

"What? You're telling me I'm supposed to talk to the people wearing these ridiculous clothes?"

Merlin glanced quickly at Arthur from where he was sitting, "You look great, don't worry. Besides, everyone would think you're insane if you wore armour."

"And what about when I've got to fight, hm?"

"Oh, you don't want armour for that, it just weighs you down. Talk to the soldiers, see if they've got something for you."

Arthur crossed his arms, "You're supposed to be helping me get ready."

Merlin looked up from his book, "I am."

"No, you're just sitting there, reading. In what way is that supposed to be helping me prepare?"

"I'm researching spells, it'll help us if we need to fight. Besides," Merlin turned a page, "I gave you your sword, didn't I?"

It was early afternoon, the remains of the armies could be seen slowly advancing on them from the distance, and Arthur was preparing to explain the plan to the people who had joined them. He and Merlin were near the centre of the rough camp in an area mostly surrounded by the backs of tents, and thus providing some distance from the crowds.

"I give up," Arthur sighed, "Have you at least found something useful for the battle?"

"It's not that kind of spell book. Something's been...off. I've felt it all day, it's as though something's coming."

"How perceptive of you, Merlin. It couldn't possibly have something to do with he approaching army, now could it?"

"No," Merlin muttered absently, "Not that..."

"Right, of course, that would be too obvious. How stupid of me."

"Your words."

Arthur swatted Merlin on the head.

"Ow! Hey!"

"Come on, now's as good a time as ever."

Merlin followed Arthur through a space between two tents, and out to face the crowd. Seeing the pair, their friends came over to stand next to them. Arthur cleared his throat and stepped forward. Some of those nearest turned to look, but most people didn't hear. He tried again, louder, to no avail. Merlin moved to stand behind Arthur and placed his hand on the king's shoulder, murmuring a single word under his breath. When Arthur spoke, his voice reverberated off every tent and shelter, echoing loudly enough for every person on the hill to hear.

"Hello. This-" Arthur paused at the volume of his own words before continuing, "This is an important day. All of you, each of you here, has come because you believe that this war can end. You are from opposing sides, from different perspectives, and yet you have all come here for the same cause: peace. Unfortunately for us, there are those who do not want this. Those to whom war brings prosperity or glory or even enjoyment; and those people are advancing on us now. I know how difficult it was for many of you to get here. It must have taken a great deal of courage and I recognize the danger it placed you in. That is why I am offering you the chance to leave. Follow Gaius here and find safety nearby. But for those of you who will, I ask you to help me fight back.

"None of you came here to fight, but that is what I am asking you to do. Because, if we fight, we fight not to better ourselves, but to show those who would challenge us that it is better to unite than to divide. To show them that, when you know what you are fighting for, and when you believe in it, you can achieve that which they, with their petty and self-serving way cannot hope for. I do not expect all of you to join me. I know many of you would rather leave for safety, and there is every reason to do that. But we outnumber them, and we can win!

"My name is Arthur Pendragon, and whether you believe that or not, I ask you, one last time, to fight. Because this time, this time, you know why you are fighting."

Merlin lifted his hand and stepped back from Arthur. In the quiet that followed the speech a slight rumble could be heard. Merlin looked at his friend and asked, "Why did you tell them who you are?"

"I thought it might make them listen. Sometimes it's easier to believe in a legend than a man."

The rumble, which had been drowned out by Arthur's words was growing louder, and the crowd turned to see what it was. Those who couldn't see were jostling others out of the way. The air seemed thicker to Merlin, and the tug he'd been feeling all day was suddenly much stronger. Using magic, Merlin's gaze shot past the mass of people and out over the scene below them. The armies had reached the foot of the hill.

* * *

Thanks for reading. Please review if you have any comments, or even if you don't. You can tell me your favourite colour if it means that I know people are reading this.


	21. Chapter 21: Battle

I don't own Merlin.

* * *

The scene on the hilltop was one of commotion. Gwen began marshalling those who wanted to leave away from the newly arrived forces to where Gaius was waiting to lead them away. Arthur jumped into action, moving swiftly forward and shouting directions to the knights. Merlin spun around. He was sure now that there was something else present, something coming from the complete opposite direction as the threat before them. He started moving purposefully away from where he'd been standing. Arthur turned when he noticed Merlin was gone.

"Where the hell are you going?!", he bellowed after him.

Merlin barely turned around to answer. "There's something I have to do, trust me!"

Arthur stared after him for a moment, then he launched himself back into organising their defence. Merlin kept moving away from the rest of the crowd. As he reached an empty space, he flung his arm out in front of him, knowing without thinking what he needed to do. In another step he was gone, vanished from the hill. He appeared in a forest. It was quiet and the hairs stood up on the back of his neck.

"Hello Emrys."

Slowly, Merlin turned around to look at the mouth of the Crystal Cave. A dark haired woman in a black dress was sitting languidly on a rock. Merlin didn't say anything.

"What, don't you recognize an old friend?", she smiled. "Perhaps like this?"

Her form shifted. The hair grew smoother, the dress brighter and finer. Merlin's expression didn't change.

"You're not Morgana", he said in a level voice.

"No, I suppose I'm not", the image of Morgana said, standing up. "I can be anyone I like, really."

The form shift again and quickly flicked through Mordred, Freya, Nimueh, Uthur, Lancelot, and Morgause. It rested briefly on Balinor before returning to its original depiction of Morgana.

"No, I think I'll stay like this. There's history for you like this. Guilt."

Merlin didn't visibly react. Instead he spoke levelly. "What are you?"

"Oh come now, Emrys", Morgana's image laughed. "You should be able to tell that."

Back on the hill, the remaining people were being organized by Arthur. Children and the elderly had followed Gaius, along with some others; but most of those who were fit enough had stayed to help fight. Below, the soldiers were spreading out, making the most of their smaller forces. Arthur had their people split apart too. Gwaine and Leon were each put in charge of a group, with Arthur leading the other. They readied themselves at the top of the slope and stood, waiting for Arthur's signal.

Merlin watched the figure before him warily. "You're Magic. There's been a resurgence of Magic here."

"Very good."

"It's started to weave itself back into the world, changing things. But something's gone wrong, the world isn't the same and it's changed how the Magic's worked. It's been penned up in the cave, it's created you." Merlin's mind was racing as he spoke. "It needs to be dispersed."

The image before him just scoffed. "You won't destroy me. The Magic is much more powerful concentrated like this. You are a being of Magic, you have more power if I stay. Besides, think of all it's done for you. Your youth, your friends..." A smile twisted Mogana's mouth. "Arthur."

Merlin felt his stomach drop and his heart beat harder.

"How long do you think your king would last if I were - how did you put it - dispersed?"

Gwaine and Leon were now charging down the hill, leading their forces to sweep into opposite sides of the group below. In reaction, the soldiers pushed back, trying to stop themselves being pinned together from either side. Arthur rushed down the hill straight on, bring people sweeping in to the centre. The two sides met and people collided around him on all sides.

Merlin began walking in a slow semi circle before the mouth of the cave, trying not to let his concern show in his voice. "So that's why I'm young? Why I was able to bring back the others' spirits, why the Wildeoren are alive again." He didn't give Morgana's image time to answer. "But it started before that. Not everything you've done has been good. The people in this time aren't used to magic, they didn't know what to do with such concentrated amounts leaking from this cave. It preyed on their confusion, on their worst traits."

His voice was shaking now, trembling with power. "Myths and magical ideas should be starting to gain more credence. There should be children being born with magic, or adults finding they can use it, but instead there's a war. A war that no one understands, even the people behind it, they just know that they want to be fighting!"

Merlin was aware of a lot happening. He could feel the air around him growing thick and powerful; he could hear, so far off, the sounds of people fighting in a large moving mass; he could sense the group who avoided the battle; as well as each of the friends who he thought he'd lost centuries ago. Merlin felt something tearing at his throat. Flinging back his head he shouted into the air above him.

"Draca, eom, ala, sece findam metan, teosu hus anbid! Ærne!"

From behind him, came the beating of wings and a gaunt, white dragon flew into view and landed heavily behind him. Aithusa had grown stronger since Merlin saw her last, the affects of her imprisonment hardly noticeable. The image of Morgana began to react, but before it could Merlin's eyes flashed. A surge of power shot forward and crashed into the figure before him. Just as it did, Aithusa reared her head and sent forth a long flame. Morgana's image vanished, and Merlin heard deafening cracks from the ancient crystals inside the cave. He braced himself as a powerful gust of wind swept from the cave, passing over him and swaying the trees around him. Arthur felt a wind rush down from over the hill. As it did, every person around him fell as one, sinking to the ground unconscious. The knights and Gwen did not fall, but they all flickered for a moment and reappeared, looking paler and more faded. Gaius, where he was leading the group to a hiding place, flickered too, and those behind him sunk to the ground. Across the country people slumped and fell to the floor, each passing out as the wave of Magic swept over them.

* * *

Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying this. Please review, and stick with me until the end. It's only a few chapters away...


	22. Chapter 22: Getting Better

I don't own Merlin.

* * *

 _"... announced that power has now been restored to over two thirds of major cities, and the Heathrow airport saw its first takeoff in nearly seven years. Lines of communication outside of the country have been functional for eight days now, and the Interim Cabinet has officially announced the date for negotiations with the United Nations. Those will begin in two days, and we will be sure to bring you further coverage as that moves forward. Finally, speculation that the figure of legend Arthur Pendragon is in fact the same man who has been heading current efforts is being greeted with surprisingly large support. More on this at 10."_

In the two weeks since the battle, a lot had happened. After they had regained consciousness, there had been a good deal of confusion among the people at Camelot, but once it was mostly sorted out, no one had felt like fighting. Everybody had been rather willing to listen to Arthur as he directed them in forming a group that functioned as a rough form of government to work on reestablishing everything that had fallen into disarray. Things were far from perfectly solved, but fighting had stopped across the country and things were on their way to improving.

Though Arthur's leadership was useful, most of what he did was listen. He didn't know enough about the world as it currently stood to offer any substantial help. Mostly he offered solutions for dividing work and resources to the best effect. Merlin offered advice when he could, and Arthur actually let him.

Merlin had stayed young, but their borrowed friends hadn't lasted long. Merlin had flown back to Camelot on Aithusa to find his friends, including Gaius who had hurried back, the only ones still awake. And by that time all of them but Arthur were nearly transparent. He'd barely had enough time to explain what had happened before he and Arthur had needed to say goodbye. Over the following days, the group staying at Camelot had got thinner and thinner until at last, two weeks after the battle, it was just Merlin and Arthur.

Merlin flipped off the radio someone had abandoned, and looked over Arthur, who slowly shook his head. "I still find it hard to believe."

"Well, it's the influence of magic, not that they'll realise it. But they'll start believing in that sort of thing more, as it gets stronger."

"No, I meant _that_ ," he gestured to the radio, "Sending voices. What did you mean?"

"That people believed you were back."

"Thanks Merlin, your confidence in me is overwhelming."

"Well it is a bit hard to believe, you saving the world," Merlin grinned.

"You mean you, what did I really do?"

"You got people to come together. I don't think it could have worked if you hadn't done that. Besides," Merlin swallowed, "you'll be in charge now, if you want."

"Mmm," Arthur gazed at the view before them. They were sitting on the top of the hill, and it was starting to get dark.

Merlin watched Arthur's face and looked down before he spoke, "You don't want to be, do you?"

Arthur sighed, "It's just that- I don't fit here. They're alright, or will be. Soon enough. Even if I wanted to lead I doubt I'd be much help. I may have been..." he searched for the right word, "... _something_ in our time-"

"You were the greatest king there was."

"But I'm not now. I don't know enough about how things work now."

"You could learn."

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean I could lead."

"It's not hard to find things out, really. We could get you caught up a-and we can-"

"Merlin." Arthur looked at him sympathetically, "I'd be more of an impediment than a help."

Merlin swallowed. "So what will you do?"

"I don't know," Arthur looked into the distance again, his expression unreadable, "I suppose you'll be in the middle of things, since you've saved the world and all."

"I never was much for getting credit," Merlin smiled, "That's what your ego's for."

Arthur swatted at him and Merlin ducked, laughing. Arthur shook his head as Merlin straightened up again, but he was smiling, "What do you want to do then?"

Merlin sobered slightly, "I'm not sure. I think I'd like to go home. At least at first."

Arthur nodded, "Let's do that then."

The journey back to Merlin's cottage was much shorter than their one to Camelot. The two were able to take a more direct route along clearer paths, and passing folk were much more keen to provide them with food and such. Merlin's house was still on the opposite side of the lake from Camelot, so it still took the better part of two days for them to walk there. As they walked, they fell into easy conversation. Both of them were a little subdued, but they still managed to spend most of the time talking. From time to time Merlin would see Aithusa following them, at such a distance that Merlin didn't think Arthur noticed. Merlin didn't point it out, just felt quietly comforted by the dragon's presence.

* * *

Thanks for reading, please review.


	23. Chapter 23: Departure

This is it, the final chapter. I hope you like it.

I don't own Merlin.

* * *

When they finally reached Merlin's house, it was almost evening. Merlin found enough food to make something of a dinner, and the two of them sat down together at the table. They ate in silence for a few minutes, then Arthur put his fork down and looked at Merlin.

"Alright, what is it?" he asked.

"What?"

"You only sulk like this when you're worried."

"I'm not sulking, I'm thinking," Merlin told him absently.

"Well, good to know you're taking up new hobbies."

Merlin's expression didn't change.

Arthur sighed, "What are thinking about, then?"

"What's going to happen, I suppose."

"Oh?"

"I'm not sure... I mean, now that all the others are gone and you, uh, you don't feel like you belong here..." Merlin faltered.

"Ah," Arthur paused, and continued in an offhand way, "Well, like you said, I could learn about this time. Get used to things."

"You wouldn't miss... everyone?" Merlin kept his eyes lowered.

"I would," conceded Arthur. "But most of them had already... said goodbye to me, I guess. It wasn't like seeing them again really, it wasn't the same. They were still who I'd known just... different."

Merlin coughed.

"I don't mean you Merlin. You don't count."

"Oh, that's very nice."

"You know what I mean, stop being an idiot."

Merlin smiled, "Only when you stop being such a prat."

Arthur whacked him on the shoulder and Merlin laughed. Arthur returned to his food, but Merlin cleared his throat, "Uh, so what are we going to do?"

Arthur took a sip of water, thinking. Then he said, "Well, it'd be nice to see some more of the country, maybe. Or some of the others you mentioned you've been to."

"We could do that," Merlin nodded, "I mean, if you wanted... I don't have to-"

"Really, Merlin, you're incredibly obtuse. Of course you're coming with me."

Merlin grinned, "I am not obtuse! You just can't communicate well."

"I beg your pardon, you're one to talk. At least I don't need to rely on making up words."

"They're not made up. They're idiomatic."

"Ooh, expanding your vocabulary and thinking all in one day, _very_ impressive, Merlin."

"Dollophead."

After dinner, Merlin started unpacking the rucksacks and Arthur idly examined Merlin's work area, flipping through the books and picking up strange powders and potions with mild interest.

"Careful, that's poisonous."

Arthur hastily put down the bottle he'd been holding, "And you leave it lying around?"

"It's got a cork. Anyway, until a few weeks ago there was no one else here," Merlin shelved the books he was holding, took another from the bookcase, and walked over with it to Arthur, "Here. This an atlas, a book of maps. You can use it to look for places you want to go."

Arthur took it from him and looked at the unfamiliar map of Europe Merlin had left open, "Where do you recommend?"

They stayed at Merlin's for another week, getting ready and planning the trip. Merlin had a sizeable amount of money after all his time alive, and between that and his magic it was easy to plan out what they were going to do. They packed sparsely (Merlin's bag was mostly full of his books and magic supplies), since most of the clothes Merlin had didn't fit either of them. They'd buy more on the trip. After a week they were ready, and going to set out. Flights were happening at regular intervals, but not commercially yet, so their first step was to go to a port. They were taking a ferry to France. Merlin wanted to show Arthur some of the castles there. As they left Merlin's cottage, Merlin stopped in the doorway and hesitated.

Arthur turned around when he noticed Merlin wasn't following him, "Merlin, what is it?"

Merlin swallowed, "Nothing... just, I am different."

"What?"

"You- The other day, you said that the others were different, but I am too."

Arthur took a few steps forward, "Merlin..."

"I just... want you to realise that. I don't want to be pretending again."

"Merlin, I know you've changed. That doesn't mean you need to be worried."

"You're sure?"

Arthur sighed, "If you keep asking, I may change my answer. Come on Merlin."

Merlin smiled and started walking, locking the door as he left, "Thanks."

"Besides, you haven't changed that much, you're still unusually stupid," Arthur smirked.

"And you're still an ass," Merlin said grinning.

Smiling, Merlin and Arthur walked away from the cottage. Their destiny wasn't laid out and the future was theirs to decide. They were ready for the challenge.

* * *

Thank you so much to everyone who read, favourited, followed, and reviewed. I'm really glad that you enjoyed my story. Thanks also to my beta for helping me edit the chapters. Thank you again for reading, reviews are always appreciated.


End file.
